One More Step

On New Year's Eve, I waited at home with a box of sparklers, hoping Jake Thompson would come. Instead, an earthquake struck. Trapped under fallen debris, I prayed for his safety. Little did I know, Jake was putting on a grand fireworks display across the city for his high school sweetheart who had just returned from abroad. The whole town buzzed with excitement, wishing them a lifetime of happiness together. Meanwhile, I had lost my hearing in the disaster, with no hope of recovery. When I tried to break off our engagement and leave town, Jake stood before me, his eyes red-rimmed and pleading. I couldn't understand a word he said. I simply wished him, “May you always have a day like today, year after year.”

WARNING: MATURE CONTENT. Savannah Cortez met Blue Laurel at Club Hell. He was drowning himself in alcohol. Feeling crazy and thrilled, she thought he needed a help, and so she initiated their first kiss. And she realized, he's an innocent man. He doesn't even know how to kiss! But that didn't change her mind, because at some point, she felt attracted to him. "Your are shaking. Relax, baby, just follow my moves." One innocent night, they became as one. He doesn't know her name, but her face, he remembered everything, even the smallest details. After five years, they met again. Later on, he learned about her child... who turned to be his too.

Barely a month after the murder of her father, Eliana does not expect her mother to get married to another man, especially with the murder still unsolved. She meets the brother to her soon to be step-father, Nicholas King and everything in her life changes. He is a forbidden fruit, one she should stay away from, but like a magnet he keeps pulling her in. Will she overcome or will she be sucked in to a different life full of secrets, lies and everything she has never dreamt of?

"What do you mean by that? I don't want to stay away from you," he said calmly. "Well you have to. Your reputation is at stake if you continue being seen around me." "Okay, so what?" He said nonchalantly and I raised an eyebrow at his words. "Look, Olivia, I don't care about any of that," he said and moved closer to me. Unconsciously, my legs moved back out of fear of being so close to him and he moved in on me, finally backing me up against a walk. "I only care about you," he said as he reached out to touch my cheeks and I couldn't tell if he could feel the red blush that appeared on my face. "Only you," he whispered and he stood so close to me that I was sure that he could hear my heart beating Slowly, I watched him close the remaining distance between us and I could not move. My name is Olivia and I am falling madly in love with my stepbrother. Will I have my happy ending with him or will I keep yearning for his touch forever.

“You should leave” he said and I looked at him in shock, was he really going to kick me out after using me as his toy. “You get to fuck me and kick me out?” I asked him in shock. I wasn’t expecting his change of character all of a sudden. “You want a tip Bitch?” He asked as he smirk at me, it took everything in me not to hit him in the head, he was acting like a gentleman an hour ago how come he turned up to be a jerk now. “You know what, fuck you” I said as I tured to leave the office slamming the door behind me. A one night stand with a stranger who turned out to be Ariana's step brother changed her life. Ariana ends up sleeping with a stranger on the night of her mother’s pre wedding party, she finds out that she has indeed slept with a man who was supposed to be her brother from her mother’s union to Brian Black who was a billionaire. Forced into a contract marriage by her step father, she finds out she is indeed pregnant for her step brother. Damien Black wasn’t a regular man, he was one of the most popular billionaires in the world and the youngest. Known for his cruel, and play boy characteristics. what happens when their one night stand brings forth fruit? What happens when he get to fall in love with the girl he hate creating what would be called a forbidden romance between them. What happens when she discovers that she is pregnant for her brother when is married to her husband.

When I saw Vincent Carson again, he was now the formidable head of the Carson Corporation with a net worth of tens of millions. By his side was a young, promising screenwriter. Meanwhile, I dragged myself out of the basement, crippled and in a pitiful state. With a condescending tone, Vincent asked, "Three years ago, you sabotaged Irene's chance to win that award. Do you regret it now? If you wish to remain my wife, you must apologize to Irene first." At the same time, the system's voice sounded in my mind, 'Host, are you ready to go home?' I nodded silently. A look of satisfaction washed over Vincent's face as he stepped forward to embrace me. However, in the blink of an eye, I began to vanish right before his eyes. Subsequently, I heard he lost his sanity.

In a heartwarming twist of fate, old college sweethearts Thomas Stallone and Melissa Johnson reunite after decades apart and decide to remarry. Their reunion sets off a chain of events that deeply affects their children's lives. Caleb and Victoria, who haven't spoken in years, form an unlikely friendship when Caleb transfers to Victoria's school. Despite their differences, they become inseparable, only to be torn apart by a misunderstanding at prom. Years later, their parents' remarriage brings them back together, but they face numerous obstacles, including Caleb's fiancée who happens to be Victoria's high school bully. However, they believe their reunion is more than a mere chance and are determined to overcome any hurdle to be together. This is a story of love, fate, and the power of second chances.

“I am not a sex escort!” “Well I’m not asking you to be one” “All you have to do is be mine alone, your bills will all be taken care of while you get paid five hundred dollars a week for upkeep” “It’s the same fucking thing” . “Call it what you choose but we both know you need this” Ivan, a twenty-two year old college student found himself between signing a contract with his dangerous one night stand(William) or getting kicked out of school and loosing the opportunity to save his sisters life. Things definitely took interesting turns as the simple contract began to mean more and more to William and with Ivan crossing part with his first love who just happens to be William’s brother. The twist and truth began unveiling.

Living with my aunt and her family was meant to be a temporary, quiet arrangement just helping out and keeping to myself. On the first day of the new year, while everyone else was out celebrating, I stayed home, enjoying the rare silence and catching up on sleep. But when we ran out of water, I reluctantly stepped outside to fetch some, and that’s when I saw him. He stood by the gate of the house next door, effortlessly commanding attention with just a glance. A smirk played on his lips, and a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes behind his blue-ray glasses. At that moment, he was impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, I felt disheveled and barely awake, my hair was a mess and still shaking off sleep. But he didn’t seem to mind. There was something about him an air of mystery that made me wonder who he was and why he was there. Before I could look away, he spoke, “Hi.” Caught off guard, I managed a quick, “Hi,” while trying to pull myself together. “Can I know your name?” he asked. I hesitated but replied, “I’m Clara,” and kept walking. “Can I have your number?” he called after me. “Just as friends.” I almost refused but reluctantly agreed, entering my number into his phone. “There,” I said, handing it back. “I’ll call you,” he promised with a smile, as I turned to leave. What began as a chance encounter soon became an inexplicable connection. He had secrets, but there was something about him that saw through me, understanding things no one else did. The man I met next door wasn’t just a fleeting stranger,he became the reason I started questioning everything I thought I wanted.

**Mature Audience Only** This is a collection of steamy short stories, showing that a relationship does not need to be all about s*x... But its a good start... The first story was about Luke, who had a chance to be a tutor to the girl he was in love with. Will they have happy endings? See and find out.