The Dinner

Commander Samson Gardner was my fiance. In his family was an iron-clad rule—no divorces. Before my brother died, his last wish was for Samson to marry me. So, even after falling in love with his childhood sweetheart, Samson still decided to marry me as promised. However, everything changed the day said childhood sweetheart destroyed the only watch my brother left me. When Samson sided with her again, I didn't argue. I simply reached out to my mentor overseas and started preparing to become a foreign correspondent. Before leaving, I gave myself ten days to put things in order. On the first day, I quietly hid the marriage application I was supposed to submit. On the third day, I turned in my resignation to the military. The day I was to leave, Samson finally remembered the watch and promised to take me to buy a new one on his next day off. Right after that, he ordered me, "Celia is inviting friends over for dinner tonight. Make sure the food is ready before you go." I agreed with a smile—and then never showed up in his world again. Afterward, Samson would stare blankly at the marriage application inside his drawer every time he saw my name in the news. There, within his drawer, were the memories of an autumn not yet fully arrived, the lover he could never win back, and the watch he could never give...

"My incubus has been with me for a month, but he still won't let me touch him. What could be the reason for that?" I type my questions into the customer service feedback form and wait for a reply. The customer service representative replies at once in a very helpful manner. "Dear customer, our incubi are all very eager to stick to their owners like glue! I'm afraid your issue might be due to a malfunction on his end. "We can apply for your incubus to be replaced with a new one instead, and he will arrive in a week." I look at Riven Sterling, the incubus whom I had made tailored specifically to my tastes. After a moment of thought, I decide that maybe I can just wait and observe for a while longer. If he still doesn't change for the better, then I can perhaps send him in for repairs. After all, Riven is just too perfectly aligned with my tastes. I can't bear to give him up. However, at the family dinner, I quickly realize that Riven is having a reaction toward my younger stepsister, Teresa Ashford, who is sitting across from me. It's only then that I recall that Teresa is the one who opened my parcel the last time Riven arrived at the doorstep. That night, I contact the customer service representative again and say, "You said that the new replacement would be arriving in a week, right? Please send it out, then. Thank you."

My live-in husband used my family’s influence to climb all the way to the position of Deputy Fire Chief. Throughout our five years of marriage, he has stood me up on every anniversary by using work as his excuse. This year, he finally agreed to celebrate our anniversary with me. But he only did so out of guilt. He had manipulated me into staying abroad to handle matters for him, which made me miss saying goodbye to my sister while she was dying in childbirth. The dinner was just his way of pretending to be sorry. As our dishes were served, my husband saw a news report about a fire at a top-tier postpartum care center downtown. He immediately ditched me and rushed to the scene. The fire station headquarters was just one block over! And he had specifically taken leave that week. I accidentally answered a call on his personal phone, and that was when I realized why he had been away from me most of the time. This man would not even buy me a cheap birthday gift, yet he had spent a packet to book a stay at a postpartum center for his mistress! I had to see for myself what kind of woman would have him so spellbound. I was determined to make him pay back every single item he had gotten from the Grant family, with interest.

I was treating some friends to dinner at the private club my cousin owned. When we wrapped up, I waved over a server. "Just put it on Nick's tab." The server nodded, but a manager I'd never seen stepped in to block her. Wearing a smile that never reached her eyes, she said, "Sir, Bosco is a members-only establishment. We don't offer tabs." I felt a flicker of irritation. "I'm the owner's cousin. Just let him know." She let out a sharp, mocking laugh and slapped a bill onto the table. Eighty-eight thousand. Exclusive suite atmosphere maintenance fee, ten thousand. High‑end social network filtration fee, twenty thousand. Spontaneous entertainment ambience enhancement fee, fifteen thousand. And a mess of other miscellaneous charges. Since when did Nick's place dare to bleed customers dry like this? "What's wrong? Can't pay and now you're trying to name‑drop?" She looked me up and down with an arrogant tilt of her chin. "I've seen plenty of our boss's relatives. Not one of them is as broke, pretentious, and shameless as you." Right in front of her, I dialed Nick and put the call on speaker. "Ten minutes," I said. "Make sure she disappears from my sight. Otherwise, I'm revoking your authorization for this club."

I bought red lingerie for a boy who didn't want me. Found him in bed with my best friend instead. I ran straight into Cain Russo. My enemy. The boy who humiliated me at fourteen and never lost a second of sleep over it. One night of rage and bad decisions later, we had a secret I planned to bury. Then our parents got married and he moved into the room next door. Now he watches me across the dinner table like he's already won something. Because he's had a taste and he hasn't forgotten it. So he made me a bet. Three orgasms. Ten minutes. If he wins, two weeks of me. Anywhere. Anytime. No exceptions. If I win, my freedom. I should have walked away. I didn't. He doesn't want my heart. That would be too simple. He wants to take me apart completely. And god help me, I'm starting to want that too. Stepbrother. Enemy. Obsession. Warning: This book is explicit. We’re talking filthy, enemies-who-hate-each-other-but-can’t-stop touching, wall-slamming, hair-pulling, name-screaming explicit. If you blush easy, this isn’t for you. If you don’t — buckle up, because Cain Russo has zero restraint and even less patience. 18+ only. You’ve been warned.

While she’s at home preparing dinner for him, he’s out on dates. While she’s drinking with men to secure a business deal for him, he’s announcing his single status to boost his stock. When she drags herself to the hospital with a high fever, he’s there at the same hospital, caring for René—his mistress. She loved him for ten years, gave everything she had, and did everything she could for him. She never believed their love could die. Yet, it did. She doesn’t hate him; she’s simply exhausted, so she decides to leave. Only then does she find a firm chest and a warm embrace that had been waiting for her all along. With her first taste of true love, she realizes how much time she wasted with her ex, a man who never truly loved her. When he comes home one day, he’s shocked to find the woman who had always been there for him is gone. Regret floods him, and he chases after her, only to see another man by her side, taking sacred vows with her, their hands intertwined. In that moment, he realizes he’s lost the innocent girl who once loved him—the most precious treasure he ever had. And now, she’s gone forever.

I’m the Vettori family princess. The only one. It was our fifth anniversary. A big dinner party at the estate. A waiter spilled red wine on my husband Marco, heir to the Rossi family. My best friend, Sofia, slapped the waiter. Hard. Then she was all over Marco, helping him out of his jacket. Her hand lingered on his waist. A second too long. I just stood there, watching. Sofia saw me. "I was just closer, that's all. Helping him clean up. Don't overthink it." I just smiled. Grabbed my glass. I went to make the rounds with the old dons from the other families. I would finish this night with my head held high. Later that night, Marco crawled into my bed, stinking of booze. His hands were on my waist. He wanted sex. I pushed him off. "The alliance is over," I said, my voice dead. "We're finished." Marco sobered up fast. His face went cold. "I'm trying to apologize here. You're divorcing me because Sofia helped me with my jacket?" I laughed. He didn’t get it. Not until I threw the proof of his betrayal in his face. Not until I cut him off from my family. Then he was on his knees, crying, begging me to forgive him.

Rhett’s father is making him go to dinner because his father’s best friend is arriving and will be staying with the family while his new home is finished being renovated. All Rhett knows is the guy is a stiff. He runs some big company and is moving his headquarters here. He remembers meeting him once and thought he was boring and as annoying as his father. What Rhett didn’t remember is how attractive this older man is despite his stiff posture and suit, the much shorter and much older man has serious sex appeal. Despite his short stature and social awkwardness, Gabriel bests Rhett when he tries talking to him on the terrace and promises to “whip” the younger man into shape in a rather heated moment. The sexual tension is high, but their personalities clash. Meanwhile, Rhett is forced to move home and declare his major and Gabriel is having a hard time convincing the shareholders, firstly that his move to the East Coast was for the best of the company seeing as the most successful branches are in the region and that his spinoff idea which really connects with the essence of who he is will bring the company more success. He must find a solution and that solution might just save both his and Rhett’s asses, if he can get the younger man to comply. Trigger warning: This book contains mature materials and homosexual content including domination and kinks, betrayals, attempted suicide, depression, attempted murder, homophobia and mental health issues. There may not be content warnings on chapters within.

When Henessey returns to her home country after 15 years away, she's not welcomed in the usual sense. Instead, her identical twin sister begs her to swap places for a date with the billionaire prince of the country, Kellen Powers. The plan was simple: ruin the dinner so he would reject the arranged marriage proposal. But everything backfires when Kellen accepts the proposal, seeing Henessey as the perfect crazy person to survive his family's politics. Henessy rejects him and runs away, only to end up spending a night with Kellen after getting her heart broken by her boyfriend. Despite their explosive attraction, she still refuses to marry him, driving the billionaire to obsession. With no other option, Henessey reveals her true identity to Kellen. Furious, he forces her into a contract marriage, threatening to destroy everything she holds dear. Henessey agrees to sign to protect her sister, but on the official wedding day, Kellen discovers his bride has been swapped with the original bride. Enraged, he abandons the wedding to search for Henessey, bringing chaos to her family's doorstep for their deceit. Kellen and Henessey share a history that only he remembers, making him bitter and determined to make her pay for what she did in the past. There’s a thin line between love and hate but the couple seem to be drawn to hate. Will their love be strong enough to overcome the secrets, pain, and deceit that await them? Or will they tear each other apart?

On their first anniversary, Demi finds her boyfriend fucking her best friend after standing her up on their dinner date. Feeling betrayed, she decides to drink her sorrows where she meets a stranger who will change her life for good. Gavin Morgan, a public figure, and one of the youngest billionaires in New York, is caught by her beauty at first sight. He sees her in a vulnerable state but doesn't take advantage, despite his attraction towards her. When he learns that she's set for an interview with his company, Demi is guaranteed the job. Working together, they grow fond of each other and fall deeply in love. Gavin gives Demi a luxurious life more than she has ever dreamed of. Demi experiences a love she has never seen before from Gavin who treasures her more than anything. However, there are outside forces trying to break them apart. So many girls are obsessed with Gavin and jealous of what Demi has, including her former best friend. Seeing her glowing, her ex also wants her back. To add on that Gavin's family doesn't accept Demi since she doesn't come from a rich family. But Gavin is determined to protect his woman no matter what. Will the opposing forces win or will love conquer all?