Standing Punching Bag

Layla is standing too close to him. She knows it the moment she stops moving, when the space between them shifts from accidental to deliberate. Luca doesn’t step back. He never does. He only looks down at her, dark eyes steady and unreadable, as if he’s been waiting to see whether she’d do exactly this. “You’re doing it again,” he says quietly. “Doing what?” Her voice gives her away—soft, breathless. “Standing where you shouldn’t.” His gaze drops briefly to her mouth. “And pretending you don’t know.” Heat coils low in her stomach. “Maybe I don’t care.” That gets his attention. Something sharp flickers across his expression—control tightening. He reaches out slowly, giving her time to pull away. She doesn’t. His fingers hook lightly under her chin, tilting her face up. The touch is barely there, but it steals her breath all the same. “Careful,” he murmurs. “That’s not something you say to men like me.” “Why?” she whispers. “Because you might misunderstand?” His thumb traces her jaw, deliberate. “No,” he says. “Because I won’t.” His hand stays there, steady, grounding. She feels the restraint in him now—the effort it takes not to close the distance completely. “There are lines I don’t cross lightly,” Luca says. “And once I do, Layla, I don’t step back.” She swallows. “Then why are you still here?” He leans in just enough that his breath ghosts her skin. “Because you haven’t asked me to.”

“When I pictured what today would look like, it never involved me standing here, alone at the alter, humiliated, as the prying eyes of guests etched at me like daggers and hushed whispers rose amongst them, with the collective gasps of disbelief. And worse, the whole world was watching this LIVE on every local news channel”. *********************** Hi my name is Clarissa, and my perfect fairytale just turned into a public nightmare. One night before my wedding, I was drugged and woke up in a strange place. Confused, late, and barely holding myself together, I still showed up in my gown, ready to marry the man I loved. Only to be left standing at the altar. Alone. Humiliated and Live on every local news channel. But that's not even the cherry on top. The real heartbreak? Is that not only did he ditch me, but I caught him later…..in bed, sexually tangled in my sister's arms. My blood. So I did what any broken, furious woman would do. I turned to the one man who could ruin him, His powerful, dangerously sexy billionaire father, Victor Gonzales. It was supposed to be a game. A scandalous way to burn them both. But Victor isn’t a man you use and walk away from. He’s older. Smarter. Wickedly dominant. And he’s made it clear, if I play with fire, I will get burned. Now, I’m caught in a forbidden game of lust, lies, and revenge. And the more I fall for him, the harder it becomes to remember who’s using who. He was meant to be a pawn. But he just might become my greatest temptation….and my deepest downfall.

.“You should not look at me like that.”Kate turns, slow, heat sliding under her skin. “Like what.” “Like you already know how this ends.” Her breath stutters. “Then stop standing so close.” “I cannot,” Nathan says. “And you should walk away.” Neither of them moves. Kate Brown lives by rules her mother carved into her bones. Be polite. Be careful. Never want what you cannot have. So when she visits her best friend for the holidays, she expects noise, comfort, safety. She does not expect Nathan Reid. Her best friend’s father. Older. Calm. Watching her like he sees straight through the good girl mask she wears so well. Their first meeting lingers long after the night ends. It steals her sleep. It coils in her thoughts. The more she tries to forget him, the louder her body answers. Something inside her wakes up. Something hungry. Something reckless.Her mind screams no while her body leans closer. Stolen glances turn heavy. Accidental touches last too long. Silence becomes loaded. Want becomes dangerous. Every moment with him feels like standing at the edge of a fall she might enjoy too much. Nathan knows better. He knows the line. Single or not, he is forbidden. And yet Kate is everything he should not crave and everything he cannot stop wanting. Caught between control and desire, Kate must choose what to obey. The rules that shaped her. Or the man who makes her feel alive for the first time.

“Nice doing business with you, you can take her” I heard my uncle whisper with a smiling face, drooling over the huge money in front of him. The strict tall looking woman in dark sunglasses, standing by the door, signaled the other two women standing outside, and they stormed into my room and dragged me away, against my will… “No! Let me go! Uncle Lucio! Do something, please! Where are they taking me now? My cry filled the whole house, but no one was there to do anything except the grin I saw on my uncle's face. They're now your new family, go with them and be a nice little girl. He said, and I watched him bang the door in my face. My name is Laura Faris and I was sold by my uncle at the age of 15 to this all-girls boarding school. Not just an ordinary high school, It was a secret school where Omega girls like me were being groomed and trained while they were sent out as sex workers while some as slaves to important people in society. I was bought by the most tyrant and ruthless man I had ever seen in my life. His name is Ricky Mart. He is the Lycan King of the Rainbow Crest Park... I became his slave, I hated him for experiencing all kinds of brutality and forced sex from him, but what I can't explain is when my burning rage of hatred for him turns into a dark night of pleasure. "Will I ever heal from it, or is SALVATION waiting for me?” NB: This story does contain intense topics of kidnapping, forced sex, rape, suicide, violence and strong language. Readers discretion is advised.

"Do you still have a boyfriend?" He asked with a mocking tone. "I thought that ship sailed already. I do not bite Sunflower. The last time we spoke, you said you like what you see." Simon said standing up. He went over to her, shifted her food aside and sat on the same spot. "The only excuse you gave for not wanting to feel what I have to offer, was your boyfriend. Is the excuse still valid?" He asked with a sensual smile touching her cheeks gently with the pad of his thumb while the other hand found his newly discovered spot, the crease of her ears. "Imagine the level of pleasure I would give you. I am a very patient man when it comes to my desires and I am not greedy as well. Your pleasure, would be my pleasure." He reassured her with a smile. He got down from the table and walked over to her, standing behind her. Slowly, he sucked on her neck. "Mmm," came the suppressed moan from Paige with her eyes shut. "Shhhh, you don't want to disturb the people behind those doors." He said. Money was top of Paige Patterson's priority list while Love didn't even make it to the list. There were too many bills to pay and a childhood memory to secure. The Kentleys seemed to be her only hope to financial freedom but the price was way too much for her. With Simon Kentley, she would be able to sort out all her needs but would she be able to sort any of his? Other Books By The Author. •You Are Mine For Keeps •Loved By A Real Man

My husband, Don Lorenzo, ran New York's underworld. And he's the one who put me in prison. All because his childhood flame, Cassandra Viti—the Viti family princess—killed my father. I was the first one on the scene. The Feds caught me standing over the body. He faked the evidence. Made sure I took the fall. I spent three years in hell. His apology? A single sentence and an unlimited black card. "I owe Cassandra three wishes. Once you're out, once I've paid my debt to her, you'll be my Donna again."

When the cold Vampire Queen is betrayed and brutally murdered by Lenhandro her lover, she prays to the moon goddess fo cast their enmity aside and give her a chance to be reborn. However Xenta does not expect to find herself in the body of a chubby lowly omega slave. Then she finds herself entangled with an Alpha King who couldn't stand her quirkiness. With a war brewing, will Xenra unlock her inner abilities and return in time to stop the bastard who ripped her heart off her chest and stole her throne? Will she be able to keep the heart of the Alpha King or will fate force them apart when they are standing on opposing sides?

Sa mismong araw ng kanyang divorce, nagsuot si Dorothy Navarro ng pulang bestida—hindi para mang-akit, hindi para magpakitang okay siya, kundi para alalahanin ang minsang pagmamahalan na ngayo'y ganap nang nawala. Pagkatapos niyang talikuran ang isang sirang kasal ng walang halong drama, ang huli niyang inaasahan ay ang mapansin ng pinakanakamisteryosong CEO sa bansa—si Theodore Velasco. Tahimik. Mapanuri. Mapanganib sa mga taong humaharang sa daan niya. At tila may alam ito tungkol sa matagal nang tinataguang katotohanan: ang pagkamatay ng tiyahin ni Dorothy—isang kasong tinapos ng mundo bilang "suicide." Ngunit isang tawag lang, isang paper bag ng kape, at nahulog si Dorothy sa isang masalimuot na mundo ng lihim, kapangyarihan, at paghilom ng lumang sugat. Upang mabuhay sa bagong laban, kailangang mamili ni Dorothy: pagkatiwalaan ang lalaking walang emosyon ngunit may hawak ng katotohanan—o layuan ang tanging taong handang bigyan siya ng proteksyon, kalayaan, at isang bagong apelyido—Mrs. Velasco. Ngunit ang kasunduang kasal na ginawa para sa paghihiganti… ay baka mauwi sa totoong pagmamahal. Magtatagumpay ba si Dorothy bilang maging tagapagmanang pinagkait sa kanya noon? O ang pangalawang pagkakataon niya sa pag-ibig ang tuluyang magpapabagsak sa kanya?

Farrah Evans is the definition of the modern-day liberated lady. Get drunk, get laid, and get your freedom. That was what she wants for the rest of her life. Not a percentage, not even in her dreams she imagined of being married and committed to only one man. The plan is to be a forever rich single Auntie who lives alone in a mansion, wears a pair of Gucci gloves on a wedding, and brag about traveling around the world while holding a limited edition LV bag on her Amigas.However, Uno Saldivar is the most persistent and longest suitor she encountered in her life. The man started to pursue her back in senior high days. Uno is a certified nerdy boy who got no fun, he's a studious, hardworking geek who aims to be one of the most successful men on their generation. And the one who will marry Farrah, the girl of his daydreams. Farrah doesn't know that she's falling for him. She is a known playgirl who hooks up with rich handsome boys and being with Uno will taint her image. She planned to escape the humiliation she'll experience so she never admitted to herself that she likes the man and covered it with anger. Annoyed and exhausted of him chasing her, she made a deal. "When I reached the age of twenty-seven and I'm still not married nor have a boyfriend, I'll marry you. If anyone of us refuses to get married, the one who rejects will pay the other million dollars." After years of being apart from Uno, a tragedy happened which turned her life upside down.

With a bag of vegetables gifted by the previous tenant in hand, I was on my way to collect rent from the third household when I unexpectedly ran into someone at the entrance of the community. The man frowned, his eyes fixed on the vegetables I carried, as though he couldn't fathom how I had ended up like this after leaving him. Following his gaze, I instinctively shifted the vegetables behind my back. My eyes dropped to the muddy water on the pavement, and I never would have imagined bumping into my ex-boyfriend—the one who had grown up with a silver spoon—in this aging neighborhood. He noticed my movement, and for a moment, something flickered in his expression: a mix of pity and recognition. "Since you've already learned your lesson," he said, "come back with me." At his words, I instinctively stepped back half a pace. "Who said I'm going back with you?" My rejection seemed to sting, darkening his face. "I know you're still blaming me for giving Rachel a child," he muttered, "but it's been three years. Isn't it time to stop? As long as you come back, we can be the same as before." Three years, huh? How quickly time had passed. Thinking of my little girl at home, still babbling her first words, I couldn't help but smile and shake my head. "Let's leave it at that. Go home and live your life with Rachel. My daughter's waiting for me to go back and make her food."