Breaking The Rules Novels & Stories

When she applied the stencil, her fingers smoothed over my ribs, pressing the design of wild roses and thorns into my flesh. “Look in the mirror,” she ordered. I turned. The purple lines curved beautifully along my side, following the line of my breast down toward my hip. It looked bold and dangerous. Maybe this could add an identity that had been missing from my body. Raven picked up her machine. The buzz filled the room like an angry wasp. “First rule,” she said, one hand firmly bracing my hip. “You don’t apologize for your reactions. Pain is honest. If you need to cry, cry. If you need to scream, scream. Your safeword is ‘red.’ Say it.”

A sharp crack broke the silence in the living room. The bracelet hit the hard marble floor, and the gem shattered into pieces. At that instant, everything around me stood still. I stared at the broken pieces on the floor, my mind going blank. Susan shrieked and took a step back. Jason swiftly grabbed Susan's hand and anxiously checked the back of her hand and her calves. "Did you get cut by the shards? Does it hurt?" He was finally relieved after making sure that Susan wasn't hurt. He turned around and stared at me, frozen in place, my face pale.

He dialed a number he had kept in reserve for emergencies a contact deep within the league’s central athletic committee. "It's Victor," he said when the line connected. "The police are playing hero, but the contract is still real. It's time to trigger the league's official investigation into the Titans' salary cap and player conduct violations. If I can't drag them down with a leak, I'll let the league's own bylaws destroy them." As the police cart Thomas Miller away in handcuffs, Victor prepares to launch a devastating legal strike that could strip Adrian of his hockey license permanently forcing Ethan to make the ultimate choice to save him.

"I don't date." That's non-negotiable. There are rules I've set in place for myself this year. And from what I've learned, the biggest problem with rules is when you start bending or breaking them. After that happens, there's nothing to stop you from totally disregarding them and careening out of control. And I can't afford to careen out of control. Not again.

The cool glass surface presses against my palm. That is when it settles. Not all at once. Just enough. Clear enough. I am not managing this anymore. I am stepping into it. And for the first time, the rules I set at the beginning do not feel fixed. They feel optional. I glance down at my phone again. At the message. At what it actually means. And it hits me, quiet and certain. I am the one breaking my own rules now.

I said as I walked away, ignoring their calls. I was breaking our rules. The golden rules were never to be broken. I just broke two of the five rules: never date or play a weak girl, never hit your best friend because of a girl or a boy, never date your best friend’s toy, and never break the friendship bond even if you are tired of it, and never reveal the secret. All because of her, I was breaking two rules. What made her so special that I was willing to go this far?

I leaned against it. The next thing I knew, I lost my balance. I fell straight into his office. My eyes widened. I immediately looked up. Damien was standing there. Before I could say a word, his voice thundered through the room. “What are you doing here?” I froze. He took a step toward me. “Didn’t I tell you this place is out of bounds for you?” I swallowed hard. I had broken another rule. Again. I slowly got to my feet. My eyes moved over him for a second before I looked away.

He reached out, his long finger lightly tapping against the center of the third page. "Rule Number Four: No deliberate sabotage. Neither of us is permitted to intentionally damage the other's reputation, business, or personal standing. Furthermore, neither party is allowed to publicly reject or disavow this relationship while the agreement remains active. You cannot run to the press declaring a separation six months from now because you find my home too quiet or my schedule too demanding." "And if I break one of these rules?" I asked, looking up to meet his intense gaze. "If I trip over my words in front of a reporter, or if I panic and want out?"

I stood up. "My colleague on the affirmative made an argument that I want to address directly," I said. "He said that when people break unjust rules, they replace them with better rules. And he is right. They do. But I want to ask something. What made them break the rules in the first place?" I looked at the room.

For the first time since she’d seen him again, Sebastian hesitated. “No,” he admitted. “I’m not.” The admission hung heavy. Valerie studied him, really studied him, and saw the restraint. The tension coiled tight beneath his polished exterior. This wasn’t a game to him. “Rules,” she said abruptly. “Good,” he replied. “I like rules.” She turned, meeting his eyes head-on. “One: This partnership stays professional. No physical lines crossed.” His gaze flicked briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes. “Understood.”