Off The Hook

J'ai aimé Luc Dupont pendant dix ans, mais il a dit : « Elle ne m'intéresse pas. » Et puis il a passé ses jours et ses nuits avec une autre femme… En tant que son amie d'enfance pendant dix ans, lui et moi n'avons pas eu de bons résultats, alors je ne voulais plus être son second choix. Plus tard, j’étais sur le point de me marier avec une autre personne. Au milieu de la nuit, Luc a frappé à ma porte en disant : « Claire Moreau… » « M. Luc, puis-je vous aider ? » Ensuite, la voix sexy d'un homme est venue de la chambre à coucher : « Chérie, où as-tu mis mes sous-vêtements ? » En entendant cela, Luc a titubé et a craché une bouchée de sang devant moi… Peu de temps après, je suis tombée sur le blog de Luc : « Il y a des gens à qui l'on manque pour la vie. Ce n'est pas parce qu'elle t’aime maintenant qu'elle t’aimera toujours. Alors, chéris-la. »

He pressed him against the door, breath hot, voice ragged. “If you don’t want this… tell me to stop.” A pause. A heartbeat. “I can’t.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some obsessions aren’t meant to be touched. Some men aren’t meant to be loved. And some desires don’t care. This collection isn’t about perfect love. It’s about the one you weren’t supposed to want— Another man. Your brother’s best friend. Your enemy’s son. Your professor. Your fake fiancé. The man who shouldn’t look at you like that. The man you can’t stop wanting. Every story is a man falling for another man when he shouldn’t—and doing it anyway. Fast-paced, emotionally sharp, and dangerously seductive, every story in Burnt Offerings dives headfirst into the hunger we deny, the rules we break, and the lovers we were warned to stay away from. Some affairs stay in the dark. Others start wildfires. This isn't a love story. It's all the ones you swore you’d never tell. All of them about men who should have walked away from each other… but didn’t.

Fafa, Ome, Ocha, Naga dan Atha tak pernah menyangka akan mendapat hukuman aneh dari Silvianita. Bukannya dihukum biasa, mereka justru diarahkan masuk ke gua crystal yang ternyata menjadi gerbang menuju dunia lain bernama Crystalville. Crystalville dipenuhi penduduk dengan antena di kepala dan sayap di punggung, membuat kelima remaja itu merasa asing sekaligus takjub. Dalam kebingungan, mereka bertemu Marca, anak kecil berambut bob yang selalu setia dengan snack kentangnya. Kehadiran Marca membawa warna baru di tengah perjalanan mereka. Namun, ada pertanyaan besar yang belum terjawab : untuk apa Silvianita mengirim mereka ke sini? Apakah benar hanya hukuman atau ada misi tersembunyi yang harus mereka selesaikan?

The autumn break has just ended when a call arrives from school. "Ms. Watson, your daughter failed to secure a scholarship and bullied her classmate in retaliation. Can you please come to school?" When I rush over, I find Lila Keats bound to a trash can, her hair drenched in sewage, and her mouth sealed with duct tape. Meanwhile, the so-called victim merely has had two strands of hair pulled out. After some querying, I discover that Melody Caldwell is jealous of Lila's achievements and has been waiting for an opportunity to strike. When I demand an apology, Vanessa Morrison flies into a rage. "You're lowly trash without a proper family! My daughter teaching her a lesson is the greatest honor you can obtain in this life! "Expel her immediately! My husband works in the Education Bureau! Beg for mercy, or she can forget about taking the college entrance exam!" That arrogant woman is convinced that Lila and I will beg for forgiveness after being expelled. Unfortunately, she has chosen to mess with the wrong person. Lila's grandfather is a nuclear weapons expert. Her true origins have been concealed for her safety since her whole family works for classified operations. I immediately call the Intelligence Agency. "Mr. Keats' granddaughter was bullied severely at school. Send someone here to deal with this now!"

Roscoe vowed to never put someone on a pedestal, especially if it's because of love. But when the so-called "Devil" of Mafia world met the angel in disguise, Agatha Herodez, he found himself dragging her towards the nearest church, forcedly put a ring on her finger, and vowed to never let her get off the hook from their shotgun marriage. Yup. The devil didn't just find a new toy. He finally got his biggest obsession. Her.

**** cover page not mine **** R rated read at your own risk After having a very hot one-night stand with a stranger, Christodia found out that the stranger is no other than the Kwame Agyapong, the heartless CEO and he now wants to own her by hook or crook. "Get the hell off me", I yelled. "And go where, baby? I want a recap of last time." And without warning he entered me fully. I scream "Yeah, scream baby, welcome to hell."

Cath despises Azul so much to the pits of hell. Makita lang niya ang nakakainis nitong ngisi ay halos mapigtas na ang pasensya niya at ang kagustuhan niyang kalmutin ito ay lalong tumitindi. Ito ang asungot na kahit kailan ay hindi niya na talaga magawang kausapin nang hindi sinisinghalan. She can shout at him, curse him from head to toe, but Azul made sure to her one thing: mananatiling nakakabit sa kanyang pagkatao ang apelyido nito. Yup. She's married to that asshole, and he's surely not going let her off the hook that easily.

The day Jessica Smith and I went to pick out our wedding rings, her long-lost first love unexpectedly returned to town. When we went to pick him up from the airport, she introduced me to him, saying, "This is Sebastian Grant, a friend." Jessica made it clear that I wasn't her fiancé. She even went a step further and called off our engagement party scheduled for the next day. Just when she thought I would fight and insist on marrying her, I suddenly said in relief, "Your best friend previously wanted to hook up with me, you know? And honestly, I was kind of interested."

Roseline After two years with Sinclair, all I want is a divorce, I want my freedom back. It's obvious now that he'll never love me. I've snapped out of my delusion, I want out! But when he tells me he can't give me what I want I'm frustrated and devastated. I'm determined to leave by hook or by crook, he still doesn't let his claws off me, he chases me and I don't stop running. But when my cold, impassive, depressed ex-husband kneels in front of me, I'm at a loss for words and I wonder if I can still pretend to hate him.

Tom Holland, the CEO of Shellhouse Mall is nothing but a boring boss at work but has a secret no one knows of. His secretary, Amber Leo, is a fun-loving lady who also works as a stripper in the club during her free time. She got into trouble with him at work and signed a contract of being his slave when she was on the verge of losing her job but Amber didn’t know what she signed up for was bigger than what she expected. She got pulled into different dramas that even threatened her life while working as his slave. What happens when Tom begins to fall in love with her? Will Tom let her off the hook even after signing the contract with him? what exactly is the secret Tom is hiding?