/0/20123/coverbig.jpg?v=271506e38b04ec056928ea030ccaf1f5)
Julie Greene hadn't had a boyfriend since she started college. The last time she was in a relationship, her heart was broken and it was hard to trust again. Having a best friend since childhood was a big advantage, she never really felt lonely. Kelsey had always been like a sister, they were almost always together. They were always there for each other, even when Julie had a bit of a fall out with Preston, her "other" best friend. That is until Kelsey had a new boyfriend that she met on her summer vacation.
"Heeeyyy girlfriend!" Kelsey's voice greeted her through the phone. She was in her baby blue bathing suit she bought before going on an exotic island summer vacation. She video called once a week throughout summer, sometimes more often whenever she needed a girl talk while she was on her solo getaway.
"Hey babe ... wow you look really tan there, are you still out on the beach?" Julie can only see parts of her perfect body and perfect face through the small screen.
Kelsey lifted her phone to show where she was, a beautiful white sand beach in the Bhorma Island where it's always sunny. People lying around on beach towels enjoying the sun. There were people running in the background, she could hear the waves mixed with the sound of seagulls. Then the camera went back to her face lying on the beach with her hair fall back under a beach hat.
"You could've been here with me if it weren't for your geek mode that decided to turn up before summer, how's your study going?" she asked.
Julie put aside her books in front of her and showed Kelsey the site of the campus cafeteria. The almost empty seats with only a few international students who didn't go back to their home countries for the summer. Trays of campus cafeteria food on their tables. Some sat alone with their books just like Julie.
"Jeez ... I don't know how you're not sick of that place, we were there every day for the whole entire year ... you could've get suntanned, drink pina coladas with me here, watching half naked men running on the beach and get laid!!" Kelsey was not letting her off the hook for not coming with her on that vacation.
"I need to finish all my credits early Kells, I can save some time and money next year ... you know that, I got A's for business management and statistics," she announced proudly.
"Shit! You took those already? Now who am I supposed to get my cheat sheet from? You're really ruining it for me Jules," she whined. Julie laughed it off.
"Hey, I met someone a few days ago ... he's super hot, sexy lips, gorgeous eyes, great body ... I was planning to check him out tonight, you know ... if he's got a big rock hard cock!!" her voice was echoing in the quiet cafeteria Julie had to turn down the volume.
She giggled at Kelsey's silliness, she had always been the girl who gets the guy. Ever since they were friends in kindergarten, she never had a memory of Kelsey not getting a guy she wanted.
"Sounds like you're gonna have a hot date tonight? Be careful though, do you have anyone who can check on you out there?"
"You're supposed to be that person! But you bailed on me for Business Management and Statistics, remember?"
Julie sighed, "You're not letting this go are you? I'm currently studying Digital Marketing, if I haven't mentioned that already, and I'm gonna ace this one too!" she made a face on the screen to tease her. Kelsey laughed out loud. "Are you sure about this guy? Do you know anything about him?" Julie was often worried of how careless Kelsey can be.
"He's a nice guy, MOM, you know ... the kind who likes to read stuff, I actually met him at a bookstore when I was looking for a gift for you ... can you imagine? Of all the places on this island, I actually met a guy at the bookstore ... oh and he loved that poet you always talked about so I pretended I was interested, and that's how I got the hot date tonight!!" her laugh can be heard by the people at the other table across from Julie's.
"I guess it worked out pretty well, I kinda helped you hook up with him ... indirectly, right? Just be careful Kells ... check in with me before and after your date, kay?"
Kelsey was the wild one, and Julie was the quiet one. It's always been like that since they met for the first time when they were four years old. It was an opposite attraction which developed into a symbiotic mutualism, they were like sisters from a different planet, but somehow it worked.
Julie took her books and her folder with Steven Tyler's face plastered on it, she walked towards the library after the call. She was finishing up her study for her next exam in the summer classes she took.
Summer was almost over, she traded the bikinis for the books this time. She would've gone with Kelsey to Bhorma Island but something happened, and it was too tempting of an opportunity to miss when she could take 3 classes early for the exchange of an internship the next academic year, so she took it.
She didn't come from a wealthy family like Kelsey. When her parents divorced, remarried and had their own children, Julie felt left out and decided to go to college away from them. She applied for a scholarship and got into University Of Gastonburry with a full scholarship. She toiled in school and was determined to finish as soon as possible to start her own life.
Spending time at the library until dark was her usual day at campus, if it's not the library, it would've been the bookstore or the reading cafe they had so many of in Gastonburry. She walked back to her dorm with books clutched in her arms. The walkway was almost empty with only a few students here and there. She can hear her footsteps as well as other people not far from her. Some students were back from their summer holiday, she thought.
She walked up the stairwell through the back door and came out on the third floor where her room was. She liked to take the stairs for the exercise. When she walked in the corridor, she saw Preston hanging out with a couple of his band buddies, she looked away.
It was Kelsey's idea to stay at the mixed dorm so she could occasionally hook up with one of the guys. Julie always wanted to stay in the girls dorm but she couldn't refuse her best friend's plea. Kelsey didn't want to share a room with anyone other than her.
Preston was glancing at her from the corner of his eye, she rushed to her door. She didn't know he was back. They hadn't spoken since that night she tried so hard to forget. She rejected every call he made and blocked his number all together.
Her heart beat was quickening, she felt his gaze even from a few doors down. She went into her room, closed the door behind her and turned the key.
A few minutes later, her phone rang. It was Preston. She had recently unblocked his number for reasons she still couldn't understand. She let it rang until it stopped ringing, she knew he was right outside her door. Her heart was throbbing from beneath her chest, she waited ... but it didn't ring again.
Two weeks shy of her 17th birthday, Charlene Ludlow accidentally met with the gorgeous blue eyed country boy named Thomas Raven who was going to turn her unadventurous, well planned upper class life, upside down. Even though her father, who was soon to be Mayor had chosen a suitable future boyfriend for her, she was already fallen head over heels for the boy, who was said to have slept on the beds of half the girls in town. Tom had never been attached to anything in his life before. When he met Charlene, he felt something that he didn't recognize, he wanted her all to himself, nothing more and nothing less. Despite how much they wanted to be with each other, they faced many challenges of circumstances, from other people and even between themselves.
Sandra Lowry is renting out her property for a living. A lifetime investment she couldn't really afford. When her best friend / property agent told her they were bidding on a new prospect that could cover her next 5 year rent, she was excited. The client, a handsome actor with a tragic past who would be living in her compound for the next 6 months. With her own past tragedy, the two developed an instant friendship that was rare and found a connection beyond what they've ever had before. Unbeknownst to her that her past was on its way to catch up with her and prevent her from moving on.
Here we follow the footsteps of Adrian Addams, an orphan, a loner, a night crawler to the core who works for Jordan Cromwell, the city's most influential man's son. The city is going through some changes after 33 years of the separation, and Adrian is caught right in the middle of it. He's accustomed to the way of living where something strange is always happening, but something more sinister is going on. With the appearance of Jordan's little sister, and a Chief of Police that's always on his tail, he will soon find out.
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.