Teens

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

“Tell me you hate me,” Mikhail whispered, aggressively pressing the side of my face against his expensive wooden table. I inhaled sharply, fighting back the moan in my throat. “I…” I wanted to force the words out, because I did. I hated him with every fiber of my being, with every drop of the blood in my veins. At the same time, I didn't. I had never put a label on the other thing I felt for him. He would never feel the same, and he would scorn me. “Say it, Marlowe. Say you hate me.” He dared, thrusting hard into me and stealing my breath. “Oh my God,” I cried out, pushing my ass backwards to meet his thrusts despite myself. “You can't say it, can you?” He laughed scornfully. “I… hate you.” I managed, inhaling sharply. He tugged my hair, fucking me harder. “No, you don't.” I couldn't argue, because an earth shattering orgasm snuck up on me and blinded my thoughts. When I recovered, I realized he was not completely wrong. *** *** *** Marlowe had a simple, happy life up until her late teens when she was about to go to college. Her father was murdered in cold blood and her mother fell apart. She was left to take care of herself and her mother, and all her dreams were shattered. She is kidnapped and sold to someone she once knew and was in love with. Mikhail Romanov. He is an entirely different person now. But Marlowe is an angel and she can melt the hardest of hearts. They fall in love with each other, but with this romance comes a revelation of secrets that shatter Marlowe and all that's left of her is a woman that is filled with hatred and anger, and desperate for revenge.

Merina MacGregor is doing some corporate espionage into O’Keefe Industries for MacGregor Industries, as Summer O’Neil, the personal assistant to Conner O’Keefe. Conner’s investigating a corporate saboteur. His father claims he’ll need Summer's help and Gabriella Mandela as his girlfriend. She's the daughter of a prospective partner. He doesn’t want either in his life. If the saboteur remains undiscovered, the Mandela family will assume control of O’Keefe Industries and MacGregor Industries will fall. Gabriella will do anything for her family. Including marrying Conner. She’s not fooled, something's wrong with Summer O’Neil. Conner knows he wants Summer in many unusual ways. The O’Keefe and MacGregor families were once inseparable until it ended. Conner and Merina were engaged and ready to unite their families. In their teens, the friendships ended, and the MacGregors whisked Merina off to boarding school. Merina’s back and expected a place within MacGregor Industries. Her father denies her a position. Merina learns MacGregor Industries is under attack and failing. Her father’s convinced it’s his archenemy and ex-friend. He believes in the O’Keefe family’s guilt. Merina isn’t sure. She strikes a deal with her father. She’ll prove the O’Keefe family isn’t guilty. If she finds the saboteur, he’ll give her a position within MacGregor Industries. Now undercover as Summer O’Neil, it grates Merina’s hide. Conner doesn’t recognize her. When will someone else recognize her? How much trouble will she be in? Can Summer help Conner find the saboteur? Is the same person attacking both companies? What will Conner do if he discovers Summer’s identity? Will the families’ secret pull them apart? Will they bring the two families together? How many ways does Conner want Summer?