Black Water Joyce Carol Oates

The first time I attended my girlfriend Joyce's friend gathering, after a few rounds of drinks, her male best friend pulled her onto his lap. With a cigarette dangling between his fingers, he grinned. "Call me daddy!" Instead of getting offended, Joyce leaned into him, helpless but indulgent, and said, "Daddy." I froze, scowling, but she waved me off without a care. "It's just a joke! Lucius always never cared for the rules, and everyone knows we have a father-daughter vibe, okay? Don't get it all twisted, Henry! Aren't you a man?" Lucius became even more provocative, throwing a smoke ring at me. "Yo, son-in-law! Aren't you going to bow to me? Come on, kneel and offer me a drink, and your dad's got your back!" Everyone at the table burst into laughter as they waited to see me lose my temper and make a scene. I just smiled, meeting Joyce's impatient gaze with an excited expression. "That's great! I like the way you think, so why don't you call me daddy too?"

My husband,Yves Gordon, got a diamond necklace at an auction. It was my birthday. The next day, I saw another woman wearing that necklace. She was Joyce Cherny, my husband's new sales director. That woman posted a dozen shorts on TikTok to show off her necklace. I commented, 'Nice necklace, but the outfit doesn't match.' Half an hour later, Yves called me. He berated, "I bought Joyce that necklace! She deserves it! She doesn't need you mocking her for it!"

Mario Aubert runs from a tricky marriage contract, losing everything he owns in the process. He becomes broke and resorts to womanising and drinking in the long run. Ironically, he picks a special interest in Belle, a one-night stand, who appears rather suspicious. Unfortunately, she is gone from his life, and he can't reach her no matter how he tries. He starts to find her everywhere, desperate to put the pieces of the puzzles together.

My mom is a retired supermodel. She's added a monitor to the weight scales at home so that she can monitor my and my sister, Abigail Teller's perfect body weight. If my data goes up by 0.1%, Mom will ban me from eating for the next three days. But the thing is, Abigail keeps eating fried chicken every day, yet her monitor's light is always green. Mom claims that Abigail's still going through puberty. I defend myself, saying that I've gained weight because of the bloating caused by my period. As Mom points at the red light emitted by my monitor, she exclaims, "The data is never wrong! If you've gained weight, that means you've been snacking far too much!" After getting punished many times, I begin believing that being fat is a sin. On the night of my 20th birthday, the long-term diet I've been placed on has triggered my kidney failure, which causes me to bloat up everywhere. I kneel on the floor and plead to Mom that I'm seriously ill. But that's when the monitor lets out a shrill alarm. When Mom sees the 5% increase in my body fat data, she puts me through a devillish punishment. I can feel the electric currents jolting through my body. "It's bad enough that you've secretly snacked on cake, but to even lie in my face about your illness? I'd like to see how long you can stay stubborn for!" Having said her piece, Mom locks the door and takes Abigail out to celebrate her birthday. I guess Mom is correct. Monitors never lie. I'm the one who's at the wrong for being a glutton. That's why I've transformed into a monster who doesn't deserve any love at all. I'm sorry, Mom. I'll only drink water in my next life.

“Fuck….”she yelled in his ears as she scratched his back with her bare fingers losing her soul to the one who she shouldn't come in contact with. But how can you stay away from the Santiago heir who wants something and gets it without second thoughts. ”Xandeeeerrr” “say my fucking name!!” “xandeeeeerrrrr!” “No my full name”he whispered as he rode her harder trying so hard to implant his seeds in her. “Alexander West Santiago!” And from that day onwards,she became his greatest undoing. Jordan Monroe,first and hidden daughter of Rowan Monroe who mistakenly got entangled with the school bad-boy and heir to the Santiago empire. What happens when she finds her way into Lakeside Elite Academy A.K.A school for the royal. Will she be able to escape his charms or be his greatest undoing?? Jordan Monroe has spent years living in the shadows of her father’s powerful name, treated like an outsider in her own family. Everything changes when she enters Lakeside Elite Academy, a school reserved for the rich, the powerful… and the dangerous. There she meets Alexander West Santiago — the untouchable heir to the Santiago empire and the boy everyone fears. Xander always gets what he wants. And this time, he wants Jordan. What begins as a dangerous attraction and hate soon becomes a battle of control, secrets, and obsession. But when the truth about Jordan’s identity surfaces, the very boy who claimed her might become the one who destroys her. Or the one she destroys…...

A dozen years ago, when Sera was adopted by Reggie Blackwood—a wealthy ex-womanizer, she thought that was where her hard life would end. However, when Reggie reveals that he has four secret sons from different mothers, Sera knows it will lead to disaster. What's more, Reggie announces a will full of intrigue: whoever among the four men wins Sera's heart and marries her, will be the main heir to the Blackwood Group. Suddenly, Sera is caught up in an intoxicating game of love. Ace, the domineering ambitious lawyer; Beck, the romantic artist who sees her as a muse; Cal, the compassionate doctor who becomes her protector; and Damon, the mysterious man with a dark past. Tensions between them rise, blurring the line between true love and hidden ambitions. Amid rivalry, passion, and dark secrets, Sera must choose: give her heart to one of the Blackwood Brothers, or escape this dangerous game. But in a world where love and betrayal walk side by side, who can truly be trusted? *** “You're all acting like I'm a precious item that needs to be taken care of,” I protested, glaring at the four of them who probably just took my annoyance as a joke. Ace raised one eyebrow. “Wrong. You're a fire that needs to be tamed” “Or to be played with,” Damon interjected casually, his smile mocking. “Or to be celebrated.” Beck's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “Or to be kept lit,” Cal finished, his voice low, without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. I clucked in annoyance. They were all incredibly frustrating.

Four years after Selene's humiliating rejection from being Luna.Selene is brought back to the famous land of Ironclaw pack once again. She takes no time in reintroducing herself as the new sensual sensation she is,a wealthy fiery temptress with a cunning mind. Selene says she returns for her job alone but deep down in her veins,she knows the name of what brought her back.The self destructive need to inflict as much pain as she can on him and everyone who wrongfully judged her.The raging storm in her was revenge fueled by hate But there is a thin line between love and hate and with every glance,glare,and the deja vus of heated touch,it becomes painfully clear to Selene that the line was slowly vanishing. But that is Alpha Ares’ plan all along,he desperately wants to win his cold luna back. Even at the cost of things he once held dear;his pack,his family and something he never thought could be taken from him…his self-control.

“You can’t force me to do this, Ash.” I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as he stepped closer again. “I don’t belong to you.” His soft chuckle sent shivers down my spine. And when his face neared mine, his fingers tightening around my throat, his whispered words brushing against my ear, I knew that I was going to fall for him again. “Oh, but you’ve been mine from the very beginning, little lamb.” *** Lena Gray has lost everything. After the death of her boyfriend—the only person who ever cared about her—her life spirals into darkness. Desperate and on the verge of ending her life, she is suddenly abducted and sold in a human auction. Ash Ravencroft, a devil with a lethal charm, claims her. But he hasn’t come just to take, he offers a deal. In exchange for saving her from despair, he wants only one thing: her body, in ways far darker and more sinful than she ever imagined. Bound by a sinful contract, will she break free from the darkness, or succumb to the temptation that might consume her whole?

"You are Mine" He murmured across my skin. He inhaled my scent deeply and kissed the mark he gave me. I shuddered as he lightly nipped it. "Kirsten, you are mine and only mine, you understand?" Kirsten Saunders had a pretty rough life. After being heartbroken and betrayed by both her father and boyfriend, Kirsten moves to a small town to find the comfort of her mother. Everything is not what it seems and soon, Kirsten finds herself in the middle of the world she didn't even know existed outside of fiction novels and movies. Not only does the time seem bizarre, but her senses heighten, her temper is out of control, and her hunger amplifies. Throw in an arrogant, selfish, sexy, possessive player who didn't even want her in the first place, her life just seamlessly attracts madness. Especially with those creepy threats coming from a "Silver Bullet", she can't keep still.

I sustain brain damage from a car crash and end up with a memory akin to a goldfish. However, I remember my feelings for Caleb Warner for seven whole years. Things change when he abandons me on a mountain top after losing a bet with someone. He sneers and says, "Write this in your journal, Sadie. Consider it a lesson learned." It's wintertime, and it's freezing on top of the mountain. I almost die there. I later destroy everything that has to do with Caleb and allow my memories of him to disappear from my mind. … One night, someone by the name of Caleb Warner calls me. My boyfriend jealously pulls me close and asks, "Who's this?" I shake my head dazedly. "I don't know." The person on the other end of the line loses it when he hears my answer.