Playful Smirk

“I don't want an interview Mr Cross. I want you exposed.” Lexi Carter is a struggling journalist working for The Daily Buzz, a bottom-tier tabloid that survives on celebrity scandals. Her job is to stalk the rich and famous, dig up dirt and sell their secrets to the highest bidder. But when she’s assigned to trail Lucian Cross, the notoriously private and devastatingly gorgeous CEO of Cross Media Entertainment, she meets her match. Lucian is used to people wanting a piece of him for his money, his power, or his fame, but when he catches Lexi sneaking around him again and again, he’s intrigued. Instead of having her arrested, he offers her a deal: “Write flattering pieces about me, and I will give you exclusive access to my world.” Lexi hates him. His arrogance, his smirk, the way he controls everything. But she agrees because she needs the paycheck. Now, she’s torn between destroying him or saving him, and worse, she’s falling for the man she was supposed to ruin! Will she betray him by releasing his darkest secret and save her father? Or risk everything for the man who stole her heart? Find out more in the story!

DARK ROMANCE! "I-I love him," she stammered, shivering under his intense gaze. But his whisper sent shivers down her spine. "But I love you," he said, his smirk hinting at a dark intention that left her numb. "Leave me! I'm not yours!" she protested, her brown eyes wide with fear, shock, and sadness. Yet, her sparkling tears only drew him in. He leaned in closer, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, his touch a mix of tenderness and menace. "How can I, kitten, when you're already mine? Trapped with me, sinfully," he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her spine. Her throat constricted in fear as she realized escape was impossible. But his next words crushed her world. "Punishment time, kitten," he growled, his voice dripping with lust and obsession. His dark eyes seemed to devour her, leaving her knees weak. A lone tear escaped her eye as she realized she was trapped. He would cage her, sinfully. She was a bright doll, but his darkness shattered her hopes. She was a vast ocean, and he was a pirate who'd found his treasure in her - a treasure he'd claim by any means. @2024darkoceanfics

WARNING: This an extremely dark romance. **** Shivers raced through my spine at the dark, heated stares from them —the brothers I was about to pledge my body to. “Sweetheart, you need to know what you are getting into by joining the game,” Blue's voice startled me. I gulped as my eyes went to Fred's. His mouth went up in a smirk as his dark eyes roamed through my body. Desires and fear took hold of me as I glanced around their 'play house' I knew what I was signing up for by consenting to be their toy. Yet, I willingly took that step, to freedom, desire, and, worst of all —pain. **** As a journalist, Bella was determined to be the best. She was always taking jobs discarded or termed 'impossible' by others. However, she didn't know what she signed up for when she agreed to interview the Christophos brothers —wealthy men who live in an old house. She thought it would be effortless despite the number of journalists who had failed to get any info on the brothers until she stepped foot into the compound. Unknown to the unsuspecting woman, she was in for a ride of her life with brothers who might not be as human as they seem… The game is about to begin... And it's the survival of the fittest...

"I'm about to in your smart little mouth and you're going to swallow all of it. Do you understand?" He didn't let me answer, holding my head in place as his filled my mouth. He waited until I had swallowed every drop before he released me and I fell to the bed, sobbing. Zipping himself up, he stalked to the door, then paused and turned to smirk at me. "Don't even bother to tell anyone about this. Or you and your mother will suffer. And get ready, because this is just the beginning." *** Jasmine Scott is an omega, a nobody. Born in the slums and living with her struggling, single mom, she is an outcast at her school. Until her mom gets married to the alpha. Relieved that her status has been elevated, Jasmine is glad to be part of the alpha’s family except that Hardin Scott, the alpha’s gorgeous son is out to torment her. Hardin hates Jasmine. She might be his step-sister but she is no blood of his. He knows she is a gold-digger out to get his father’s money and for that she must be punished. But what happens when he starts lusting after his step-sister? Hardin craves for a taste of his step-sister's body and he won’t stop until his sensual mark is branded on her skin.

For three years, I’ve been stuck in a contract with a man who calls himself my fiancé, a chronic cheater who treats me like a trophy and a tool. But everything changed the night of the auction. I went only because I heard whispers that a sacred artifact, a relic tied to my pack’s downfall, would be up for bidding. That relic could save us. I needed it more than my next breath. What I didn’t expect… was him. Damon Cross. The man every Alpha in the city feared. The man who could freeze a room with one look and burn it down with the next. To my wild shock, he was my fiancé’s powerful, ruthless uncle, and the one man I should never want. He unexpectedly got the artifact I wanted. I rushed after him and seeing him head to his car, I yelled. “Hey!” He stopped. Looked down at me with heat in his gaze as I ran up to him, panting. “Give it to me,” I said, holding out my hand. He stepped closer, shadows clinging to his shoulders. “Can you buy it for double the price?” I blinked, his coldness like a slap. Did he not remember me? Then the smirk came. “Tell me, my lovely ex-girlfriend.”

Sia woke up from a coma after seven months, only to discover that she was the only sister of a Mafia overlord. Due to amnesia, she didn't recall all of her memories, but one thing she couldn't forget was how her father was murdered on her birthday by their enemies. This memory plagued her with nightmares every night, terrifying her. Driven by the desire for revenge, she believed that avenging her father's death might free her from the darkness that engulfed her. Thus, she embarked on a quest for vengeance. However, she was unaware that the four men she killed were not the ones responsible for her father's murder; they were merely pawns. In the underworld, everyone knew the name of the true culprit, but no one knew what he looked like, making it extremely difficult for Sia to find someone who existed only by name. One day, however, he appeared in her apartment like a ghost. He looked at her and said, "Aren't you looking for me? I'm here now, Little vermin.’ ‘Who the hell are you?’ With a sly smirk lingering on his face, he answered. ‘I’m your sweet nightmare, Little vermin. I give both sweet and lethal nightmares your experience every night.’

“Not so fast, Clarence,” Damon sneered. He yanked my wheelchair toward the balcony, pressing a button that lowered the guardrail into the floor. Now, I was teetering dangerously close to the edge. With one hand gripping the chair, keeping one wheel hanging over empty space, he shoved the divorce papers in my face. “You thought you could run to your mother’s lawyer?” he said, eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Think again. You’re signing these papers, Clarence, and you’re leaving with nothing.” His smirk widened. “Or… you can join your parents on the other side.” --- Betrayed, crippled, and left penniless, Clarence is discarded for her sister by the man she sacrificed everything for—Damon Ferdinand. But when her ruthless ex-boyfriend, Dr. Julian Blackwood, reappears, he offers her a lifeline and a chance to reclaim what was stolen. With Julian’s power and influence, Clarence rises from the ashes, determined to exact revenge on her ex-husband and deceitful sister. But standing in her way is Kristina, Julian’s possessive fiancée. As old wounds resurface and lines blur between past regrets and new beginnings, Clarence is faced with the ultimate question: Can she truly find love in the arms of the man she once abandoned? Or is she merely playing with fire, risking the same heartbreak that once left her in ruins?

“If you keep looking at me like that…” he murmurs, his lips brushing close to my ear, “I’ll have no choice but to ruin you before the night’s over.” I stiffen. “You can’t touch me.” His smirk deepens. “Touch you? Mrs. Romano…I intend to devour you.” *** She wasn’t supposed to be here. When her twin sister flees her arranged marriage to Dante Romano—the ruthless king of the New York underworld—Twenty two years old Annalissa is forced to take her sister's place. To wear her dress. To stand before the devil himself…and pray he doesn’t notice the switch. Dante is dangerous, arrogant, and used to owning everything he touches. And now, he owns her. Annalissa thinks she can survive this sham of a marriage. Play the part long enough to protect her family. But Dante Romano isn’t a man who can be fooled so easily. His gaze lingers too long. His words seem like they’re meant to rattle her. And maybe he already knows. Maybe he’s keeping her trapped in this twisted game to see how long before she breaks. Because in this game, there are no wrong brides. Only the ones the devil decides to keep. 18+

I slid under his arms, seeking a safe place to catch my breath. I noticed a playful smile on his lips, but I chose to ignore it. "Will the transformation hurt?" I lowered my gaze and whispered. "First, your bones start to break, sending you to the ground," his eyes were closed. "Then, thick fur will grow all over your body. The limb stretching, I think that's the most thrilling part of the pain." The Alpha teased with a flicker of his tongue before continuing. "Next comes the shortening of the snout and the development of sharp claws and fangs." "Will I become irrational?" I covered my mouth, trying to control the knot that had formed in my throat. "How do you control it?" Laughing, he had already reached me and pulled me close, digging his claws not too deeply into my hip, causing a painful moan. "It takes strength, training, and having the goddess on your side, human..." He withdrew his claws, leaving only a long scratch, and returned to my chin, scratching it and collecting a drop of blood. He licked it and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be here throughout your trial..." "To make sure I die?" With tears in my eyes, I took a few more steps towards his dangerous game, realizing that his breathing was slightly heavier. "You remind me a lot of her," he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine. "To ensure your transformation doesn't get out of control and to witness the deity's choice." With more pressure on my forehead, he forced me to take a few steps back in pain.

By the time I return home from a business trip, it is past midnight. However, my wife, Celeste Beaumont, isn't home. A man's shirt that isn't mine is lying on the couch. When I call her, she tells me that she's working late at the office. "Whose shirt is it on the couch?" I ask, cutting straight to the point. She playfully scolds, "Who else would it be? It's a gift for you, so hurry up and try it on." I skeptically put it on and immediately feel how tight and uncomfortable it is across my shoulders. "This is an L, babe. I've always worn XL." Celeste runs a clothing company. She's the one who handles all my clothes and even uses my body measurements for her menswear line. There's no way she doesn't know my size. The line goes quiet for half a second before she thoughtfully says, "It's from my new menswear collection. "I had pieces custom-made for you and Felix, so I must've grabbed the wrong piece. I'll swap it tomorrow." A beat later, her voice carries a little sob as she continues, "Babe, I've been so exhausted without you these past few days. I've missed you so much…" It's past midnight. As I listen to the undeniable weariness beneath her affectionate, playful words, my heart aches in distress. I can't help chiding myself for overthinking. However, after hanging up, realization hits me. Her brother, Felix Beaumont, and I are about the same build. He's always worn XL.