The Power Of The Dog Don Winslow

“No one touches what is mine and gets to live,” he replies firmly, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “Alessandro, I am not yours. I am not anyone’s property,” I argue. He laughs softly. “Okay,” he says casually, as if what I said doesn't matter. “I mean it; I will never be yours—not your property, not your plaything, and certainly not your mistress,” I've already made it clear that I won't be his mistress; I don’t know why he can’t seem to accept that. His jaw tightens, then he scoffs. “He threatened you, he touched you,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “It really didn’t matter if the device was his or not; he knew what was coming for him.” In search of her missing father, Renée, a 24 year old boudoir photographer, moves to a new country and makes a deal with the FBI. She helps them bring down the most feared Mafia Don in the country, and they help her find her father. All she has to do is seduce him and get him to lower his guard—easy. Alessandro has been married for three years to the perfect wife, the princess of the East Mafia dome. That kind of marriage makes Alessandro the leader of both the South and the East of the Mafia dome and untouchable, Ruthless. Then one night at a masquerade ball, he meets her, the seductive stranger with a different accent. She looks like the typical type of woman he would make his mistress. But is that enough? Will his world accept a woman like her? It has been a rule for as long as he can remember that certain races can't mix, at least not from where he stands. Plus, he is a married man. Everything about her is forbidden.

I stared at him, wide-eyed, aware of the heat from his body, rolling off in waves. Awareness swept through me, my stomach clenched and wetness flooded my core as I felt his nearness; and I sighed. He gripped a handful of my hair with an oath and brought his mouth down on mine, his hard lips slanting as they claimed my mouth. His heavy, strong body forced me against the wall and I trembled with need and fear… I was rigid for a while, unable to understand what was happening. My body begged me to hold his shoulders, to stroke him, to let go. But my almost Puritanical upbringing made me stay stiff and resistant. Till he sank his teeth into my lower lip and I opened my mouth in a gasp. * When the cynical, jaded Mafia Don Lucien Delano, meets eighteen-year-old, Proserpina Martinez, she falls in love with him without realizing that she is just a plaything for him. By the time she comprehends the reality, it is too late. Pregnant and alone the spirited young woman does something that takes the Don by surprise. She runs away. What happens next? Read it to find out how the stormy, passionate lovers battle their emotions and themselves. *

Valentina Moretti is the Don the Italian Mafia. Smart and formidable, surviving a male dominated environment, overcoming tremendous challenges. Trained from a young age to be a deadly assassin, she commands respect wherever she goes. She seemingly has everything, until her father decides to arrange her marriage. Luca Delgado is the head of the American Mafia. He is a ruthless and cold individual. He understands the rules of the game perfectly and will do anything to achieve victory, including breaking others without hesitation. Their forced marriage is a cruel twist of fate. Will these two ruthless individuals find comfort in one another, or will they end up destroying each other? "I don’t remember agreeing to play strip poker," she remarked. Her lips formed a slight frown, but her eyes sparkled with playfulness. She realized she couldn't outmatch me in this game. "Are you giving up? Are you a coward? " I taunted, aiming to provoke her. Her lips quivered before she pressed them firmly together. The richness of her eye color intensified as she offered a sly grin. She began shuffling cards and removed one of her sandals. Great. We’re taking the long route. She held it up, letting it dangle from her finger before casually tossing it aside. She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly challenging me. I was pleased to know I had touched a nerve. Just as I expected. BE AWARE: Trigger warnings: MATURE CONTENT 18+ (SMUT) SWEARING SELF HARM/SUICIDE (REFERENCES) LANGUAGE THAT IS UNAMBIGUOUS CURSING VIOLENCE, GUN VIOLENCE SELF-INFLICTED HARM /SUICIDE (REFERENCES) BLOOD, DECEASE, and GORE

Bagaimana pun Takdir tetap menjadi satu-satunya kekuatan, meski sikapnya yang tak menentu begitu nyata pada setiap laku lajak yang tampak. Tetapi aku tak tahu dia milikku atau bukan, karena untuk menjadi telinga, pundak, punggung, lengan dia ada paling depan. Tak terkecuali dengan memasukkan nama lain dimatanya yang aku tidak tahu siapa. Yang kenangannya terus dibawa dalam kepala. Dalam perjalanan kita yang tak sebentar ini, apakah aku hanya punya bagian untuk menjadi samar? Walaupun berulang kali Takdir bilang, "Hubungan itu berdua. Bicara jika ada sedikit rasa tak nyaman." Tapi, jelasnya aku ini siapa bagimu?

Sa gabi ng tinatawag nilang Bluemoon night, ang gabi ng mga single, ay magtatagpo ang landas nina Hunter Ace, isang sikat na modelo at artista at Jolie Vargas na isa lamang ordinaryong babae. Hinahangaan ang binata dahil sa kanyang gwapong mukha, magaling na actor at ganda ng pangangatawan habang si Jolie ay simpleng babae pero palaban. Isang gabi, dahil sa kabiguan sa pag-ibig ay pumayag si Hunter na sumama sa kaibigang si Tom na dumalo sa once a year event na tinatawag nilang Bluemoon night. Ito ang gabi na mapagkakamalan ni Hunter ang No Boyfriend since birth (NBSB) na si Jolie na siya si Danica, ang girlfriend niya. Walang pag-aalinlangan, dinampi ng binata ang labi niya sa labi ng lasing na si Jolie. Dahil sa wala sa tamang katinuan ang dalaga, tumugon naman siya sa halik. Pinagsaluhan nila ang maiinit na halik sa ilalim ng liwanag ng buwan. Hindi lang halik ang kanilang pinagsaluhan, pati ang init ng katawan ay kanilang pinadama. Isang bangongot ang maituturing ni Jolie ang nangyari sa kanya sa gabing iyon nang magising siyang katabi ang mayabang at supladong modelo sa kama at pareho silang walang saplot. Hindi na niya ito ginising bagkos ay umalis na agad sa silid. Magtatagpo pa kaya ang landas nila kung ang akala ni Hunter ay si Danica ang babaeng nakasama niya sa kama? May mabubuo kayang pagtitinginan kina Hunter at Jolie kung ang dalawang babae ay may mukhang pinagbiyak na bunga?

Harry Adams is a young millionaire orphan, who has sunk into the solitude of his mansion since his parents died, so tragic was the death of these, he suffers from a depression disorder, so he lives away from absolutely all the outside world, becoming a sullen and insensitive man, but that deep down he needs love. In his parents' will, so that his family can give him a large inheritance, they leave as a condition that he must marry before the age of 30, or else he would lose all his fortune and it would be donated to a foundation. But he has not bothered to do anything about it, who he is really worried is to Ernest Samuelson, his faithful friend and caretaker since his parents died, so he proposes Harry to get a wife by contract to avoid losing his inheritance, and although it sounded crazy it was a good option to avoid being left on the street. Ernest in his search for the ideal woman, can only find Diane Saenz, daughter of his best friend, a humble girl, who leads an unimaginable mess of life, her father accepts the contract without considering her opinion, as they are about to lose their house. For Diane this drastic change in her life makes her more rebellious and daring, the idea of leaving her current boyfriend to marry a millionaire she does not know, makes her make the worst decision, so in the company of her current partner they decide to form a macabre plan to kill Harry, but over time, those feelings of hatred turn into love, thus giving a twist to the story, as she must prove her selfless love to Harry so that he does not break the marriage contract.

Rogue Chavez is an assassin who works under an anonymous organization whom his father managed, he gets paid off billions for doing his job. All he has to do is bring the target's head. He began to love his work and that he became committed to it, his performances say it all, he is one of the best assassins that his father has trained. However, his life turned upside down when he was assigned to do a mission. A task that he is struggling to deal with, to take over the CEO position, he has to marry Keilah Olivarez, one of the daughters of an affluent family who managed the highest rate Hospital—Meadowview Medical. She happens to have an arranged marriage with one of the shareholders, Torrent Perez but she is wise enough to notice the strings behind the offer and has to say no. Rogue has to work as a doctor in disguise to cover up his real identity. He is stern in his decisions and doesn't want to disappoint his father, he lets his impulsive mind take over and accepts the task. Upon knowing that Keilah Olivarez is targeted by her own family because she dared to execute them for power. Her life is in danger and she needs protection. Keilah knows that she needs to take a risk, will trusting a man she never met before will keep her life? Will her life become better if she chose to file a marriage contract with Rogue Chavez?

I was a slum kid who fell for Damon Vitale, New York’s most feared Godfather. For five years, I was his. I took nine bullets for him. He’d kiss my scars as I bled out for him. Hold me close. Clasp the queen’s necklace around my throat. Then, once I healed, he’d fuck me senseless, with a passion that felt like forever. I thought we’d spend our lives together. I thought he would marry me. But on our 999th night together, he told me he was engaged. To Bianca, a mafia princess from a rival family. I swallowed my tears. He just grabbed my chin, blew smoke in my face, and laughed. "You didn't really think you could marry me, did you, Nora? Let's be clear. We fuck. That's it. You're not a partner. You're a piece of art I collect. A pet I own." A pet. That’s all he ever wanted for me. Instead, I picked up a burner phone. [I'm taking your offer. Three days. Get me the hell out of New York.]

Viola Giovanni's hitherto boring life as an accountant becomes a lot more exciting when, one night, after closing late from work, she stumbles on a murder scene. The perpetrator? Only the notorious mafia boss, Alvarez Italo- one of the most powerful, most ruthless men in the country. She first-hand sees proof of it that night. And he sees her. He definitely knows she's a problem; a witness. While, to her surprise, he lets her live, he doesn't let her go. And it will take her a while to realize that she's been caught in the web of a dangerous obsession with one of the most lethal men out there When he begins to feature in her life in unsettling ways- stalking her, breaking into her house, leaving her notes, as well as nearly blowing off the head of a possible boyfriend, she realizes that she's in deep trouble. She tries to run… That is when he kidnaps her and confines her to his villa, to be released on the condition that she falls in love with him. Viola tells him it will be over her dead body. And in the ensuing struggle between brain and heart, as she promises to hate him for life, Alvarez swears that she will be his come hell or high water.

When my husband once again chooses to abandon me to celebrate his true love's birthday, I finally let go. He takes his true love stargazing; I don't cause a fuss. He buys her an expensive scarf, but all I do is smile. I even tell him to buy another hat—it's pretty cold. He thinks I've finally learned to be obedient. However, he has no idea I've secretly renounced my citizenship to join Doctors Without Borders. By the time he comes to his senses, I've vanished without a trace.