Chapters In It Takes Two

My father has chosen me to succeed him in the family business. But if I want the job, it comes with stipulations. And one of those stipulations is to never mix business with pleasure. AKA, don't sleep with anyone on the job. My father leads by example, and not once have I ever seen him get involved with anyone, not even his beautiful assistant. That was an easy rule to follow...until Axel. Axel is an expert distributor, someone who knows how to get our product past the ruthless regulations mandated by the government. My father has never had a partner, but he makes an exception for Axel because he's good at what he does. But the second our eyes meet...there's fire. He's by far the most handsome man I've ever seen, and his I couldn't care less attitude makes me weak. But I put up boundaries and reject his advances. But this man doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. One night together becomes the precursor to the most passionate affair of my life. If my father discovers our secret, it'll cost me my career...and it'll cost Axel his life. To make matters worse, I'm falling for this man...and I think he's falling for me too.

Hazel Pierce has always lived in the shadows, nerdy, invisible, and secretly crushing on the one guy she should never have fallen for– her stepbrother, Trey Rivers. When her secret is nearly exposed on campus, her enemy and the hockey team’s resident bad boy, Jaxon Carter comes to her rescue but not without a prize. He makes her an offer to fake date him to kill the gossip in exchange to improve his grades. He’s cocky, reckless, and dangerously charming. And worst of all he knows how to make her heart race What starts as a simple deal quickly spirals out of control. They promised no feelings, but what happens when their truth is bigger than the rules? When Hazel’s true identity is revealed. She must decide if loving him is worth the risk as she reclaims her true voice and identity.

"Sorry, it was a dare", that's what I utter after the passionate kiss. I can still feel the familiar taste of that familiar mouth. He still feels the same, he still kisses me like there's no end, he's still passionate and possessive when he holds me in his arms. But he still doesn't look the same. A devilish smirk appears across his fierce face, his eyes darkening at me, making my breath catch. I'm still obsessed with the way he looks at me. "No, Emily. Not again", I tell myself and turn back, escaping the man who knows each bit of my soul, heart and body. The tough palm wraps around my arm harshly, pulling me back against his hard chest as he possessively secures me in his arms. I knew it was going to go well. "Let me go", I whisper. "Not after you reminded how you taste, Em", his hoarse whisper lets his warm breath brush across my neck as I shiver in his grip, weakening to my knees. Amid all similarities, I can't find the old chirpy— vibrant man anymore, instead, I feel the familiar man turning into a demon who wants nothing but to consume me again. This time not in love, but . ~~~~ Kane Gabriel was a kind and vibrant man with excessively features and a heart of gold until his girlfriend Emily Benson betrayed him. Years later Emily herself walked into him only to complete a dare but she didn't know what she invited for herself— a wounded lion who now knew nothing but breaking. With a vow to taint her with pain, will Kane achieve his motives or end up losing his heart once again? Or will a new truth break him from the core?

Melissa Hartford is a 25 year old woman who recently took over from her father as CEO of Hartford Industries, navigating the business in Indiana comes with its own problems, that is until she meets identical twins Brock and Blake Milligan, who both want her, as she tries to navigate love and business, there’s a dark side to both. Can she come out the other side relatively unscathed? Who is the person who is stalking her and where do they fit in to this?

During a company team-building event, I collapse from a seafood allergy. Yet my fiance, Frederick Scott, rushes Beatrice Sutton, who only twisted her ankle, to the hospital. I come close to dying because I don't get treatment in time. Later, Frederick explains, "Beatrice is my best friend's sister. He's seriously ill now, and I promised him I'd take care of his sister. I swear I'll keep my distance from her from now on." This isn't the first time I've heard an excuse like that. On our fifth anniversary, Beatrice accidentally deleted a work file and burst into tears out of worry. When Frederick heard about it, he left me stranded on a mountain and drove back to the office himself. I spent a whole day and night walking home through the rain. On Christmas, Beatrice's house lost power. Frederick was worried that she might be scared of being alone, and he rushed over to her place without even telling me, leaving me out in the snow waiting for him until dawn. These kinds of things have happened countless times. Afterward, he always brushes them off with the same excuse. I've long since lost all faith in him and no longer believe a single word he says. I pick up my phone and call the company that keeps reaching out to me. "I've decided to accept your offer from last time. I'll bring the core technology with me."

"I was just trying to steal some bread when the bond hit. One second I'm a rogue surviving on scraps. The next, I'm fated mate to THREE Princes. Not one. Not two. All three heirs to the throne. Damon, the brutal Crown Prince who thinks I'm a trap. Kieran, the charming second son who wants to seduce me. Caius, the scarred eldest who says he'll destroy his brothers to win. They say I have to choose one within a year, or the bond kills us all. The one I pick becomes King. The other two lose everything. But here's the problem: I don't want any of them. I just want to survive in a palace full of she-wolves who'd kill me for breathing. In a court where every smile hides a knife. With a bond that gets stronger every day, making it impossible to think straight when they're near. And the worst part? The longer I'm here, the harder it gets to imagine choosing only one. Because what if I'm falling for all three?"

It was the third anniversary of my registration of a mate bond with Xavier Ashford, the alpha of Shadowcrest Pack. My gift to him was a positive pregnancy test, but his gift to me was a contract terminating our bond as mates. I froze, too distraught to reach out and take it from him. Xavier cleared his throat awkwardly. "A wolf tricked Talia into getting pregnant. A pup born out of mate bond can't get the rights to live in the pack. My plan is to terminate our bond as mates and become mates with Talia for the time being so that her pup can have a legal identity. After she gives birth to her pup, then you and I can become mates again. How does that sound?" He passed me a bond termination contract. It had clearly been prepared a long time ago. He noticed my hesitation and explained gently, "You're my one true love. I'm only helping her as a friend. Even after we split up, I can guarantee that you won't be mistreated." I looked up at him with a smile and stayed silent. Then, I reached into my pocket and felt the pregnancy test under my fingers. The two red lines on the screen were as clear as day.

Avery Whitney was just your average girl trying to blend in. Her crush, Preston Adams, says otherwise. He sees her as an annoying nobody who doesn't deserve to exist in this world to the point he humiliates her in front of the whole student body. She felt utterly heartbroken so with that she vowed to herself that someday, he will get what he deserves. Four years later, she was now the Revenge Artist. She knows everybody's deepest darkest secret and uses it as an advantage for people who seek her help with 100% paybacks-a-bitch guaranteed. For payment, she doesn't need anything. Just the soaring feeling of accomplishment that she gets after doing the deed. The day came when luck was on her side. She caught Preston making out with the young hot Chemistry teacher, Ms. Brooks. Preston however was not pleased since he remembered what he did to Avery four years ago. She uses this to her advantage as blackmail so if Preston won't do any of her bidding, word will leak out about his indiscretion and that won't do any good for him. He will lose his popularity, his long time girlfriend Deana, his chance for football scholarship and worse, expelled. Little did she know that the more time she spent with Preston, the fluttering feeling she had for him would return.

Drugs disappeared during one of our family’s deals—and everyone knew it was my stepsister, Emily’s fault. Now, our rivals demanded someone be sent to them, held captive until the debt was repaid. My fiancé, my family—they all agreed it should be me. “Emily already got hurt in the mission. You are stronger. You can handle it while we figure things out.” I knew this moment was coming. And so I signed my name. In five days, I’d be sent away. And I have decided that no matter what happened—whether I lived or died—I was done with my family and my fiancé. In those last days, I gave everything I owned away. The casino? To my stepsister, who had always eyed it with envy. My checking account? To my father, who never missed a chance to remind me how useless I was. The engagement ring? Back to the man who’d been fake as hell. They didn’t notice anything off. They just smiled, pleased with how thoughtful I’d suddenly become. When they realized I was gone for good—and that their fragile Emily was their undoing—would they still smile like that? Would they still look so content?

“I’ll agree to this—but only if you stay out of my business.” “You have a deal,” the man chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender, his husky voice dripping with amusement. “But,” he added, stepping closer, his breath brushing against her ear, “you’ll have to agree to my conditions, too.” “I said I’d agree, didn’t I?” Sherry replied coolly. Her expression didn’t waver as she grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her eye level. “Mr. Smith,” she whispered, matching his tone with a quiet fierceness. Hah… This woman is going to drive me insane, Levian thought, already realizing this would be far from easy. ~~~ On her wedding day, Sherry is poisoned by her best friend. Her fiancé? At the hospital, he was celebrating the birth of his child with someone else. But fate rewinds the clock. Waking up a day before her death, Sherry has one goal: uncover the truth and take back control. However, as the secrets unravel, she realizes the betrayal runs deeper than she imagined. That's when the rumored Levian Smith makes her an offer: “Marry me, and I’ll stake my very soul for you.” Now, she must choose—revenge or redemption?