Self-efficacy: The Exercise Of Control

"Lift your hand," I said looking at how he held onto his bicep with a tight grip. "Let me take a look at the bullet wound." "No tesoro. I can do this myself," Vittore grumbled and I gave him incredulous look. "Don't start that bullshit with me Vittore. Remove your arm and let me help you or..." I trailed off, not able to say more. I was still in shock but I could do this. "Just... just let me help." "No." I glared at Vittore. "Why are you being so damn egotistic?! Let me help you! Do you know what it was like to find you like... and to..." I couldn't even get all the words out. "Let me help you. Please." Begging wasn't something I'd ever do but I just needed him to let me help him. "No-" "Why?!" I suddenly exploded. "Why won't you just let me help you?!" "Because I don't know how to handle it ok?!" Vittore suddenly exploded, his dark eyes glaring at me. "I don't know how to handle these... feelings. Fuck tesoro you drive me crazy! Don't you see that? You make me question everything I've ever known and... I can't..." I watched Vittore as his expression turned determined. "Fuck it." He leaned forward and pressed his lips on mine.

William Smith has always lived in shadows — the shadow of his abusive father, the shadow of a country where being gay can cost you fifteen years of your life, and the shadow of secrets he compulsively writes in his journal. At home, danger lurks everywhere; a series of unexplained, targeted attacks on his family forces dark truths to the open. At Aton College, he’s juggling too much: Jasmine, the girlfriend who deserves the truth; Timothy, the best friend whose touch is both temptation and betrayal; and Alexander, the fearless new student who refuses to hide who he is. His double life begins to unravel. Every choice pulls him closer to exposure — and in a world where love is dangerous, one mistake could destroy him.

At the entrance of the airport, as I watch my best friend, Jenna Bryant, taking the initiative to accept a passerby's request to help bring a USB drive back to the country, I know that she's gotten reborn as well. In my previous life, the passerby had sought us out and requested us to bring the USB drive with us to the country we were flying to. "Once you get off the plane, someone will meet up with you. Don't worry, we'll make sure to reward you for your help. "When we're sure that the USB drive has made it to the safe hands without a hitch, I'll give you a monetary reward." The passerby looked very anxious, not to mention there was money being promised as a reward. It was only natural for Jenna to feel very tempted to accept the request. But I quickly shook my head and turned him down. Then, I whisked Jenna through the security customs and made sure to explain the danger of such requests to her. What I didn't know was that the USB drive belonged to the richest man in the city, and that the one who helped deliver the USB drive would receive tens of millions of dollars as a reward. After finding out about the news, Jenna was enraged. She rushed to my house and stabbed me immediately with a blade. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be the one receiving that reward!" I could only look at my husband, Ricky Manning, in hopes that he'd save me. But he merely replied mockingly, "You lost our ten-million-dollar reward, Valerie! Death is just an easy way out for you!" After I died, Jenna moved into my house and lived a romantic life with Ricky. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day that passerby has stopped me and Jenna. I just chuckle as I look at how greedy Jenna is. What she doesn't know is that this is actually a deadly USB drive.

THE SWEETEST OF SINS WARNING: FOR MATURE READERS ONLY This collection delivers raw, unfiltered erotica, no gentle buildup, non- stop. Expect filthy dirty talk, domination, taboo risks, power exchanges, creampies, threesomes, and lust that consumes everything in its path. These stories plunge straight into forbidden desire where the wrongness only makes the pleasure sharper and the orgasms harder. In THE SWEETEST OF SINS, you'll sink into worlds of irresistible temptation: a college girl awakened by her hot new maid and her stepbrother in a shocking threesome; a nurse breaking her no-doctors rule for a surgeon from her past in a post-surgery office fuck-fest; a Step brother spying on his step sister while he touches himself; and more. From family homes to hospital on-call rooms, secluded cabins to private balconies, every setting cranks the danger and the heat to unbearable levels. No punches pulled. Domination, oral, gangbangs, BDSM, taboo creampies, age gaps, cheating, deep throating, MILF power. If it makes you throb, this collection will ruin you. Hold tight, because once you start, there's no stopping until every filthy page is consumed. Rated: Extremely Adult – No Limits

Excerpt Nurse Monica raised the baby up, letting her small eyes stay on the keyhole so she'd see what's going on too. "You can't let any of them go. Revenge what they did to your parents and your twin, please...." She sobbed gently before leaving through the backdoor, running out of the hospital with the baby. **** On the day she was birthed to, both her twin and her parents were killed and their organs dug out. Now the only thing in her mind is REVENGE!

My father raised me on one principle: fair exchange. If I wanted anything, I had to earn it myself. Fifty cents for washing the dishes. A dollar for mopping the floor. Five dollars for a perfect score on a test. To buy the pair of white sneakers I had been dreaming of, I spent three months collecting recyclables. In that house, I lived like a pieceworker, paid by the task. It was not until my senior year of high school that everything began to crack. I collapsed during morning study, my body worn down by years of malnutrition. The doctor said I needed better nutrition. My father stood by my hospital bed and started doing the math. "Three hundred for the hospital stay. Two hundred for medication. Chester, this all goes on your tab for the future." I turned my head and saw a boy in a school uniform in the next bed. His father was feeding him spoonfuls of chicken soup, his eyes red with worry. In that moment, the world I had known for 18 years fell apart. It turned out not every child had to earn their parents' love. After I was discharged, I went home and saw the pair of designer sneakers on my brother's feet; it was worth thousands. That was when I finally woke up. I tore up the family photo and, without hesitation, applied to the college farthest from home. Ten years later, my father called me in tears. My brother had taken all his retirement savings, sold the house, and run off with his girlfriend. He was left with nothing. No home. No one. I smiled and tossed him a rag. "Want a place to stay? Sure. It's 50 cents per window. Earn your own rent."

My husband and I go on a road trip back to my hometown before Christmas. I want to ride shotgun, but he chases me to the backseat so his female colleague can sit in front. He says, "Isabel gets carsick easily. You are my wife, so you should be more considerate of her." He seems to have forgotten that I'm pregnant—my morning sickness is at its peak. Halfway through the journey, he and Isabel Slater start smoking. They make me throw up. The smell disgusts them, and my husband wants to teach me a lesson. He and Isabel leave me at the rest stop. Unbeknownst to them, my family is already waiting there. This time, I'm going back with them and getting an abortion and divorce. Later, my husband is filled with regret when he learns the child is gone.

In the crumbling city of Newhaven, humanity cowers under the rule of wolves, and rebellion is about to ignite. Mira’s priority is protecting her younger brother Jace from his reckless defiance. Lucan, the wolf prince, feels the pressure of a kingdom on the brink of chaos. One fateful night during a protest, Mira and Lucan's paths collide, forming a bond that defies their worlds. She is a human rebel, and he is a wolf prince. Their lives are now linked in a perilous game. As war erupts, Mira must decide how far to go to protect her brother and the hope of freedom. Lucan faces a choice between his loyalty to the pack and the bond he cannot deny. Secrets emerge that could shatter or unite their worlds. Together, they must confront ancient truths, deadly enemies, and their own hearts. In a city of shadows and rebellion, will their bond save them or doom them?

Ex patient of the pandemic that are bored of living got his wish coming true, that is to reincarnate in another world. Rebirth on a death body that die because of some sick joke he then vowed to get his revenge toward the Kingdom. Journeying across the continent while collecting the one he want, he become something that feared by the Kings. But as the old phrase says. Human can only made a plan and the fate will working after that. Got entangled to a mysterious summoning, he then must end the thing he do in the past. Ignoring his own hope to live freely on his reincarnation. -------------------------------------- Mix of some reality and fantasy. Based on my weird dream about 15 years ago.

"I'm willing to marry you." Jared Brooks and his brother, Shiloh, turned their heads. Standing before them was a woman in a wedding dress, but this was no ordinary bride. Her gown was stained with dirt and blood, her mascara streaked down her cheeks, and her makeup a ruined mess. Today was supposed to be Julia Watson's wedding day. She was set to marry her fiancé, Carter Ross, until her so-called best friend, Vivien Smith, announced to everyone that she and Carter were expecting a baby—and were in love. Shattered by the betrayal of her fiancé and best friend, Julia was ready to give up. That was until she spotted Jared Brooks, the CEO of Brooks Corporation, at the courthouse. "Who are you?" Jared asked, puzzled by the stranger's proposal. Jared had no intention of marrying a stranger, and even his brother found the idea absurd. He was about to leave when Julia made an irresistible promise: she could cure his brother's legs. "I'm Julia Watson of the Watson family," she introduced herself. Jared assumed Julia sought revenge against her ex-fiancé by marrying him. Little did he know, Julia harbored two dark secrets. First, she had a mission to complete. Second, she wasn't really Julia Watson.