Closing Time Chords

Celia Johnson, my boss's sister-in-law, joined the company as the finance director and announced that all reimbursements must strictly follow the standards. I spent an entire week running around for the company and finally closed a five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal. Because the client had used two extra packs of paper towels, the per-person amount for their meal ended up eight dollars over the limit. Celia folded her arms, glanced at the reimbursement form on my desk, and sneered. "Five hundred and eight dollars?" "Yes. Last night at The Peak Restaurant, where we closed Richard's deal. Zack was there too," I explained patiently. "Eight dollars over the per-person limit. Not reimbursable," Celia said coldly. I tried to reason with her. "This was a special case. The client is high-level, and the deal amount is large, and Zack personally said it would be fully reimbursed last night." She returned the reimbursement form to me. "I don't care who said that. Don't think closing a five-hundred-thousand-dollar contract lets you ignore company rules. Reimbursements must all follow policies. Everyone will follow them to the letter." I took a deep breath. I knew arguing with her head-on would get me nowhere, so I called Zack directly. Zack said, "I did say it would be reimbursed, but I never said company rules could be ignored. It's just five hundred. And you still get commission from closing the deal. You young people need to have perspective." I stopped arguing. I turned around and refused the delivery containing the hard copy of the five-hundred-thousand-dollar cooperation contract, smiling as I explained, "Company rules say all cash on delivery packages must be refused. "Also, today is my last day here. Starting tomorrow, I work for Richard's company. As the client, I will be setting the rules this time."

Run, Run, RUN. Don’t stop. The night was falling and like the creatures of the day, I needed to hide. My heart is thundering in my chest, echoing the sounds of the war that rage from the fields of my once loved home. That was before the coven came. Surprising us and taking my home and pack. The attack happened so quickly that no one was ready. We had no warning and after hours of waiting I was found. I had to run. Don't stop running. “CRACK” the current of magic shoots by and hits the tree to my left, my bare feet crunching the earth hard and fast. My small heart fluttering faster than a hummingbird's wings, my once sparkling beautiful dress is no more. It’s tattered, dirty, and torn. The edges burnt to a crisp and coated in blood from bodies of the battlefield that I raced away from. “Come here little wolfie,” a harsh raspy voice calls out cutting through the trees I hide quickly behind a tree to take cover to breathe, “I just want a little chat!” He calls singsong like, taunting me. He wants to find me to kill me. Ducking further behind my tree I hold my breath, my young body shaking with so much force my bones ache. Holding my breath and closing my eyes hoping for safety that surely won’t come. At only 11 years of age, I can’t fight this grown warlock... he will surely kill me like he did my parents... “Wolfie princess, where are you?” He mimics the rhythm of a child’s tune, as if I’d listen. Closing my eyes tighter I don’t want to die. I’m too young. My mind is racing, and my hearts bound t....

Three years ago, Vincent's world fell apart when his soulmate, Majori, cruelly rejected him in front of everyone, choosing another man—his best friend, Brian. Heartbroken and confused, Vincent watched as the love of his life walked away, seemingly severing every bond between them. Now, Vincent has risen to power as the formidable Lycan King of the Blue Moon Pack, leaving his tragic past behind—or so he thought. Fate intervenes when he finds Majori once again, this time bloodied and broken, being hunted by a rogue pack. Torn between vengeance and the flicker of hope he dares not acknowledge, Vincent rescues her, only to imprison her in his own kingdom. But Majori is not the same carefree, mischievous girl he once knew. Hiding a dark secret that kept her away, she has suffered in silence, bearing the scars of a brutal past. As the tension between them rekindles the embers of their shattered bond, a web of lies, betrayal, and dangerous power struggles threatens to destroy them both. With old enemies closing in and Brian emerging as a formidable threat, Vincent must confront not only the truth about his mate but also his own tortured heart. As Majori’s health deteriorates and the stakes escalate, Vincent faces an impossible choice: let go of the past and fight for their future, or lose Majori forever. Yet, the biggest secret of all—the one Majori has been hiding for years—could turn Vincent’s entire world upside down and change the fate of the packs forever. In a battle for love, power, and survival, can Vincent and Majori overcome their painful past, or will the flames of betrayal consume them both?

He asked me to take everything. Every kiss. Every fight. Every quiet morning he ever let himself be soft with me. Every single memory of the five years we spent loving each other in secret. He said it was the only way to keep me safe. That if he walked into the enemy’s camp knowing he had a mate, they would use me to destroy him. So he asked me to hold his memories inside me, like I was a box he could trust, and he promised he would come back for them in six months. That was five years ago. Caius is home now. But he doesn’t remember me. He doesn’t remember any of it. And the worst part? He is falling in love with me all over again, slowly, the way he did the first time, and I am standing here with all of him inside my head, watching him meet me like a stranger. I know every single thing about him. His nightmares. The way he takes his coffee. The scar on his ribcage from the night he almost died protecting me. The exact words he said when he first told me he loved me. He knows nothing about me. And now the people he spent five years hunting are closing in, the mission is falling apart, and the only way to save him is to give him back everything he asked me to take. But if I do that, he will remember everything they did to me while he was gone. And the Caius who remembers is not the kind of man who lets things go.

An arranged bride. An accidental claim. A love worth defying everything for. — When nerdy, bookish Elizabeth “Lizzie” Foster sets her eyes on Reese Blackwood at a wedding, she makes a wildly uncharacteristic decision. He’s going to be her first. Reese is charming, sexy, reckless, and far too attractive for his own good—the notorious son of a billionaire who’s never had to chase anyone in his life. But after one unforgettable moment, Lizzie thanks him politely… and tells him she hopes they never see each other again. For the first time, Reese is the one left wanting more. Fate, however, has other plans. Desperate to escape her controlling mother and finally claim her independence, Lizzie attempts a daring escape—only to be cornered at the airport before she can board her flight. With security closing in and her future slipping away, she does the only thing that comes to mind. She grabs Reese Blackwood after seeing him in the crowd, kisses him senseless, and announces to her mother and the world: “Meet my boyfriend. We’re getting married… and I’m pregnant.” Stunned—but spotting the perfect opportunity to defy his ruthless father and an arranged marriage with an unbearable woman he never wanted—Reese plays along. Now bound by a scandalous lie, a fake relationship, and a very public fake “pregnancy,” Lizzie and Reese are forced into a dangerous game of pretence. He’s hiding secrets that could destroy them both. She’s fighting for freedom she’s never had. And neither of them expected the biggest complication of all— Falling for each other might be the one lie they can’t survive. What could possibly go right?

“You breathe when I say you breathe. You look at me when I command it. You belong to me, Little Bird… body, soul, and every filthy thought in between.” Aria was born to be forgotten—an Omega with no name, no family, and no future. Beaten, broken, and sold by her pack to a slave auction, she swore she’d never submit again. Until he walked in. Damien Voss, the infamous Mafia Alpha whose name makes even kings tremble, bought her at a ridiculously high price—without blinking. To the world, he’s the devil in a designer suit. To Aria, he’s the monster who caged her, marked her… and awakened something inside her she can’t control. She hates him. She craves him. And the worst part? Her wolf wants him too. But when another Mafia boss whispers promises of freedom in her ear, Aria finds herself standing between two devils — one who wants to own her, and one who wants to use her. Her heart beats for the man she swore to destroy, and her body betrays her every time he whispers her name. “You can run, Little Bird,” Damien murmured, his hand closing around her throat, possessive and tender all at once. “But I’ll find you. And when I do, you’ll beg me to chain you again.” In a world ruled by blood, power, and secrets, love is the most dangerous sin. And Aria is about to find out that the devil doesn’t just want her submission— He wants her soul.

"I don't play games, Miss Moretti. I end them." Celine Moretti has a plan after catching her boyfriend with the new beautiful transfer student. It’s simple, really. Step one: Don't cry. Get even. Step two: Seduce the transfer student’s uncle—the icy, terrifyingly handsome Professor Reed—and destroy his niece’s perfect little life. It was supposed to be a game. A little revenge to soothe a broken heart. Celine thought she was the player. She thought Professor Reed was just a target, a rigid academic with a god complex and a stick up his ass. She was wrong. Professor Reed isn't just a teacher. He is Caelum Morano, the ruthlessly efficient Don of the Morano Crime Family. A man who hides in the halls of academia to hunt the shadow organization that butchered his fiancée. He has spent years perfecting his mask of indifference, living a life of cold solitude, surrounded by a loving but dangerous family he keeps at arm's length. Until Celine walks in. She is chaos in red lipstick. She is defiance wrapped in a short skirt. And she looks exactly like the ghost haunting his dreams. He tries to reject her. He tries to scare her away. "You’re playing with fire, little star," Caelum warned, his hand closing around her throat, not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to own. "And I burned down the world a long time ago." "Then burn me," Celine whispered, trembling not with fear, but with a dark, twisted need. "I’d rather burn with you than freeze alone."

Is he trying to insert that thing in my… I fought back and wiggled my body to avoid his big pet when he tried to rub our sensitive part. "Aaargh!" he softly groaned. "Stop resisting me, Susana! We f*cking did this a lot of time!" he growled at me. "I'm not Suzanne! I-I'm her twin sir! Please don't!” I begged him. "Stop lying! Our f*cking son!” He stopped for a moment and looked into my eyes. "You f*cking abandoned him just because you're a slut! Don't f*cking fool me, Susana! Because you'll never fool me again!" he shouted at me, making me close my eyes. "I'm not the woman you're looking for, Mr. I have a twin. Maybe you're talking about her! Her name is Suzanne! I don't even know you, Mr. Believe me I'm not her! I'm her twin!" I insist. "Bullsh*t! Stop lying!” I caught my breath when I felt him enter my hole. I felt like I was stabbed in that part. I couldn't breathe immediately because of the pain at his first entrance. *G*damn it!" he whispered with regret. "I-I told you… I’m not her." I murmured before closing my eyes. I closed my eyes tightly and I was shaking before my vision completely darkened. But before I could open my eyes, I heard one last word he spoke. "F*ck! Shit! Call the f*cking doctor now!”

My husband, Ryan Costa, is one of the most renowned scientists in the apocalypse. To retrieve a reagent, he goes deep into the high-risk zone with his secretary, Clara Gibson. I, Alice Ashford, lead an elite squad to protect him all the way. But when a zombie horde besieges us, he refuses to retreat. "With the reagent Clara brings back, I can develop a serum that saves all of humanity! Just ten more minutes! Ten minutes, please!" Ryan insists. I feel torn as I see the zombies closing in. I can't gamble with the lives of my squad on a vague, uncertain sliver of hope. In that split second, I knock Ryan out and drag him onto the helicopter. As a result, Clara dies being torn apart by the zombies. When Ryan wakes up, the first thing he does is slap me hard across the face. He rages, "How can you be so selfish? You've doomed all of humanity!" I am sentenced to be burned at the stake. I die in unbearable pain as the crowd curses me relentlessly. When I open my eyes again, I am back at the moment when Ryan stands in front of the helicopter, blocking our retreat. I am just about to speak when I suddenly hear his inner voice, "Clara should have grabbed her makeup bag by now. Hopefully, she brings something back with her. Otherwise, I'll have a hard time explaining myself to Alice." My mind goes blank, and I stare at him in shock. He smiles at me just like he did in my previous life and asks, "Darling, don't you think we should wait?"

By day, Luna Kline is an invisible philosophy student surviving on scholarships and silence. By night, she lives a secret life at Club Inferno, where desire pays the bills and anonymity is survival. When her ethics professor, Dr. Alexander Elliott, discovers her double life, Luna is pulled into a dangerous web of obsession, blackmail, and corruption. As an investigation into the club’s criminal underworld unfolds, Luna becomes trapped between a man who offers protection at a terrible cost, a club owner who will destroy her to stay in power, and a dancer who may be the only one who truly wants her free. With her future on the line and secrets closing in, Luna must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice and whether freedom is worth burning everything down.