Hand To Myself

His lips brushed my palm and every time his hot breath hit my skin, it set my nerves on fire. “What the—” I whispered, breathless. And then, with deliberate slowness, Sevastian slipped my ring finger into his mouth. My eyes widened in disbelief, my heart hammering against my chest. His teeth scraped my skin before sinking into the flesh, just enough to make me twitch from the sharp pain. I gasped, both from the sting and the bite I got from him. My entire body tensed as he bit down harder, marking me not with ink or metal, but with flesh and teeth. When he finally released my hand, my skin throbbed, the faint mark of his bite was visible against my finger. I cradled my hand, staring in disbelief at the mark he left behind. “This,” Sevastian murmured, his voice low and sharp. “Is my mark and ring.” His tone carried an edge, dangerous yet confident, as if the words were meant to bind me. “The symbol that you are no longer Celestina Valeztina-Savelli.” His lips ghosted over my skin, and my chest tightened as he whispered the next words. “...but Celestina Valeztina-Ortega.” His next words were a soft snarl, dripping with ruthless certainty. “My property, my wife.” He added, while locking his gaze on me. There was no hesitation in his eyes, no flicker of remorse, only that same ruthless determination that chilled me to my core. I tried to pull my hand back, but he didn’t let go. "You’re insane," I whispered, my voice barely audible, trembling despite my best efforts not to show it. “Yes, I’m insane,” he replied with a hint of mischief in his voice, “And I can drive you crazy…” He paused, letting the tension hang in the air.

He abruptly snatches me, closing the distance between us, putting his hand on the back of my head. All the hair on my body rises on alert; one wrong move I might shapeshift in here. His masculine scent infiltrated me with so much finesse. Damn, he smells divine. "What the hell--" "Shut your mouth; those thugs are after me; I need your help." His baritone tone is manly, very manly which catches me off guard a little. No one can lay a finger on me; he is the first man ever to touch me. I'm with a stranger in a strange position. How annoying can this night be? "Alright, Mister, I will give you three seconds to let me go, or else you might lose your hands." My tone is cold and dangerous. I’m hoping he heeds my warning. The tall man keeps leaning forward to me, putting our bodies in an intimate, awkward setting. "One, Two, Thre--" He steers his legs forward. My heart was beating a mile per second. I can't believe he is doing this! Feeling his warm palms cupping my face, the next thing I know, he is kissing me. His lips taste like strawberries. I got an entry pass into heaven!

“This is an arranged marriage, just the other day you were threatening me with a divorce.” Allysa screamed at Lucas but his eyes grew darker as he marched forward, cowering into her space. He held her against the wall,his breath fanning her ears as the hairs on the back of her neck stood erect. “I say many things when I'm angry,but giving you a divorce? It's never going to happen… he dipped his head and kissed her feverishly, taking everything she had to offer as her hands wrapped around his neck. “We're bound for life Allysa, divorce? It's never going to happen……. ******************************************* What exactly can make a play boy, the most wanted dude in the state, the most arrogant, wealthy, sophisticated and nonchalant get married and decides to play cool?? Ever wondered? Meet LUCAS, he's everything a girl wants, successful at 24 and a heartbreaker. When a sexual photograph of a young lady and himself gets to the hands of his grandma, he found himself battling between accepting an arranged marriage or forfeiting his position as the CEO….. ALLYSA is all a man needs, from her cheerful smile to her sweet gestures. She's every man's dream but not the dream of her arranged husband. After the photographs makes rounds between their parents, they're both faced with a marriage ahead of them, spending the rest of their lives together and probably making babies…..but Is Lucas ready to make the marriage work? Is he willing to let go of his ego,his love for the single life and accept Allysa? Is Allysa willing to accept him? Is she willing to overlook his attitude and make the marriage work out?? Find out!

“Lou,” He called out before I could open the door to his office, “I have always wondered just how loud you would scream when I'm fucking you.” I stop in my tracks, unable to move or turn back to look at him, because if I do, he will see just how much his words affect me. Because this idiot man has not just said if, he said when. Years after I fled town with a shattered heart, trying to outrun the pain of a high-school romance that turned out to be nothing more than a cruel bet. But life brings me face-to-face with the last person I ever wanted to see again. The boy who broke me is now a man, and he is now the owner of the strip club I work in. I need this job to keep a roof over my grandmother’s and my head, and he knows it and he uses it tooo well. With a single sentence, he doubles my salary and pulls me right back into the gravity of his presence, like the years apart never happened. But everything changes the moment he finds out I have a boyfriend. The guilt I saw in his eyes hardens and darkens, then turn into possessiveness, something I remember all too well. He once walked away from taking what that stupid bet demanded… my virginity, and now, it’s painfully clear he intends to make sure I don’t give that part of myself to anyone who isn’t him. Because in his mind, no matter how many years have passed… I’m still his.

"Veronica is pregnant!", Mother said loudly I stopped dead in my tracks. The realization of that hit me suddenly like I was unaware of it before. "Your younger sister, Veronica is pregnant, Adele! She is", mother said again. I sucked in a very sharp breath, trying to keep myself in control and perfect order as I turned to face mother and spat those words out. "I am not getting married. I am not getting married to someone I do not know. No, that is not going to happen", I said very clearly this time and I saw a tear drop from my mother's right eye. "Do you not get it? You have no choice in this. You have no say in this!" "And I wonder why that is", I replied with gritted teeth as I glared at mother murderously. ----------------- Adele Woods; a despaired, pessimistic and brokenhearted lady found herself agreeing to an arranged matrimony after much persuasion and convincing talk from her parents, especially her mother. She had no say in it and that made her angry. Being a rebellious person, Adele refused to even take a look at her betrothed's picture. She had a thought on her mind. Her husband would want one thing from her; to procreate. And that is one of the things she would never do. But is it possible? When her husband is Christopher Marvin; a young, handsome man who would do no other thing than to make her laugh. He was the most flirtatious, lively, cheerful, and manly person she has ever met. He was definitely not what she imagined her husband to be like. Will Adele be able to pull herself out of her 'annoying' marriage? Or will she find herself changing because of a certain hot man?

Warning: This story contains themes and scenes that are for mature readers only. Strictly 18+ ******************************************************************************** Raya, living with her stepdad and mom has made a vow to her father that she will remain a virgin until her marriage and plans to do so but fate has other plans for her. When the debtors come knocking on the door and threaten to throw her family out of the house, her steps dad agrees to sell Raya's virginity to clear his debts. Raya is torn between her promise to her father but she also cannot see her family thrown to the streets. ******************************************************************* Maxwell Barlow is the right hand of the feared Mafia boss, Kingpin Xander Benson. He is ruthless and is used to all luxuries that life has to offer. He had sworn off women after his last girlfriend broke his heart. Maxwell's close buddy and cousin Charles takes him to a club where Maxwell is smitten by a girl at first sight and Charles buys that girl's virginity as a gift for Maxwell. What will happen when the odd pair face each other? Will they fall in love or end up hating each other? #GNLMB

Maisse, a twenty four year old partial orphan finds herself in trouble when she is laid off her job and her other workplace sold to a Billionaire. She has to find a way to earn money to support her twin sisters through school. To add salt to the injury, her father tells her that he has arranged for her to get married to a strange man. Her father has already gotten a part of her bride price. Maisse is torn between running away from home and taking care of her sisters. She has to make a difficult choice. If she agrees to get married to someone she does not love, who will take care of her sisters, and how will she live with someone who bought her with cash. If she refused to get married and runs away, her father will turn to her little sisters. The billionaire on the other hand has to fulfill his grandfather's dying wish: To marry so as to access the inheritance. He falls in love with Maisse before the wedding day but Maisse flees after he makes a decision that affects her life and that of her sisters.

Amira Edwards, the sole offspring of Mr. and Mrs. Williams Edward, remains oblivious to the fact that her father orchestrated a transaction, offering her hand in marriage to a billionaire in order to revive his ailing business. Expecting a life of joy and familial growth, she instead finds herself subjected to torment and unreciprocated affection from her husband. Determined to pursue personal growth and honor her promise to repay the monetary sum, Amira makes the arduous decision to depart from her affluent spouse and his opulent lifestyle. Meanwhile, Morris James, an exceptionally handsome and reserved entrepreneur with a dark past, develops an abhorrence towards his father and anyone associated with him. In his pursuit of retribution, he procures the daughter of his father's closest confidant with the intention of subjecting her to torment. However, as fate would have it, Morris eventually succumbs to love's sway, thereby altering the trajectory of their intertwined destinies

Out on a holiday with my boyfriend, Jack, and my good friend, Eva, a catastrophe occurred. As the floods came, we waited for the rescue helicopter to come. As I fastened the safety rope, I noticed that my metal safety clip had been swapped for a plastic ring. Climbing up the rope ladder, Jack said nonchalantly, "Eva's luggage is heavy. She needs another safety clip, so I gave her yours. You can wait for the next rescue." I replied in a panic, pointing at the water level already past my chest, "But I can't swim!" Jack replied irritatedly, "Naomi, stop causing a scene! You're a strong swimmer, what's a little time in the water? Eva is my boss's relative. If something happens to her, my promotion is gone. Why can't you understand that?" "Which matters more? My life or her luggage?" I reached for the rope ladder when he kicked my hand away. "I've studied the waters. The flood won't rise so quickly. It will at most be at the level of your neck. You won't die!" I said nothing further. Watching the floods rise crazily, I quickly pressed my family's special alarm on my wrist.

You’re not supposed to want straight men. Carson Bitters wants nothing more than to feel his secretary inside him. He dreams of it every day. You’re not supposed to fall in love with them. They won’t love you back. But Carson can’t stop longing for Asher Hall; the man his homophobic father handpicked for him. A living, breathing, giant NO. And yet, every time Asher speaks, every glance, every careless brush of his hand, Carson finds himself wanting more. Needing more. And what starts as longing could destroy everything, or make it unforgettable.