"You need to know what you are getting into, sweetie." He smirked, running his eyes down my body, stripping me bare with his dark, wanton eyes. I gulped and took slow steps towards him, walking on shaky legs but trying to look strong. "You don't know I am, Mark. Bring it on. I can sate your demons." No matter how dark they are. After all, I'm not the angel he thinks I am... **** Running from her foster parents, Giulia had a run-in with Mark, a Mafia Lord in Spain. The meeting was incidental, but it sealed the hearts of the strangers, bringing them back to each other despite how far they tried to go.One is a sadist, and the other is a closeted masochist, waiting for the right one to set free her inner restraints. Will their paths be straight, or will there be internal and external forces trying to keep them apart? Would Giulia succeed in taming the mafia Lord, or will his darkness engulf her?
GIULIA
I kept peeking behind me as I dashed down the busy streets of Madrid. Most of the pedestrians gave me curious looks as I weaved through them. My heart was thumping violently in my chest. I was sweating, but that was the least of my problems.
I knew there was no way those monsters could have tracked me from the States to Spain, but I couldn't help my intrusive thoughts.
I securely gripped my purse, clutching it to myself to discourage pickpockets. The minute I left the airport, I went to a Bureau de Change to get my currency changed from Dollar to Euro. I only had 700 Euros with me, and I hoped to use it sparingly.
I intended to find a motel that wouldn't cost more than £3. If that was possible. I didn't mind living in a rat-infested place until I got a job, which didn't sound like something that would have happened anytime soon.
"Sorry!" I apologized to a man I crashed into when I turned to look over my shoulders. It was getting late, and I had found no cheap motel. I had only seen one for £9. Too bad none of them wanted to give me any discount.
"Watch where you are going, chap!" he growled at me. Luckily, he didn't communicate in Spanish like the one I knocked into an hour ago.
"Oh, you can speak English?" I beamed at him, trying to strike up a conversation.
The man's eyes took me in. He started from my red hair, down my 5 foot 6 inches body before he fastened his grey eyes on my honey-brown ones. "Mind where you are going!" he snapped angrily before he turned and hurried down the road.
"Huh?" I flipped my hair back. He should be thrilled someone beautiful tried to chat with him!
I turned and proceeded down the street. I steered clear of alleys. No matter where you are, the States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or bloody Antarctica, you need to be vigilant of the dark.
Striding down the streets, I kept pondering what to do. Should I return to that £9 motel? But that would cause a dent in my pocket!
There was no freaking way in hell I would do that!
My tummy rumbled the moment I walked past a bistro. I placed my right hand on my belly, glaring daggers at it.
With a frown, I traipsed over to a grocery store. I smiled at the security guy by the door, and he muttered words in Spanish that I didn't quite catch.
With a nod, I strode in. I didn't bother with a basket or trolley. Since I was trying to save some cash, I planned to just get two energy bars for the night and the following morning.
Tomorrow, I will start job hunting.
I knew it would be challenging to get a job with my high school degree, but it would be more challenging because of the language impediment. I couldn't speak shit when it came to Spanish. (Well, I could perfectly say "Hola")
I smiled at the few people in the aisle as I scurried over to the shelves that housed what I needed.
"Shit!" I planted both hands on my waist and glared hard at the bars that were beyond my reach.
Who the hell instructed them to stack items up so high?!
Weren't they aware that there could be short people who wanted something from the top? Could it be that they only kept it for tall people?
Hmph!
I would have given them a proper tongue-lashing had I been eloquent in their language. It would be more like splashing water on a rock should I grumble now.
Groaning, I rose on tiptoe to take it, but I couldn't reach it.
"Fuck you!"
I jumped, only to miss my step. A soul-shattering shriek wrenched from my gut as I helplessly flayed my arms. I expected to fall flat on the floor with my bones broken and my beautiful pearly dentition broken or dislodged.
One, two, three...
I gasped, clutching my eyes tight as I resigned myself to fate, only to feel something strong against my lower back.
I gradually opened my eyes when I felt the warmth on the side of my body and arse. My eyes locked with that of an unfamiliar man. They trailed down his face, noting the scar that ran down the right part of his face and his clenched jaw. He had his brown hair up in a man bun. The long lashes fanning his cheekbones accomplished...
Wait a fucking minute! Where the hell were his fingers clutching?
"Pervert!" I yelled at him, pushing him away from me with all the strength I could muster. I staggered the moment he let go but righted my posture. "Do you think you can cup a touch because I was in a desperate situation, huh?" I pointed at him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He narrowed his eyes at me, looking like he was barely holding himself from snapping. His eyes darkened. For a minute, it seemed like I was staring into the crevasse.
"Why did you touch my arse?!" I yelled at him, not mindful of the attention we were getting.
He folded his arms, still glowering coldly. He didn't speak a word, but his eyes gave out most of his thoughts.
"Fuck you!" I grabbed the nearest energy bar, ignoring the ones I was trying to take. "Out of all the places to grab, why must it be my arse?! What a flagrant pervert!"
My eyes trailed his body. I started from his head and down to his toes, noting his tight abs that were trying to shred his black turtleneck off -just kidding. The black slacks he had on did nothing to obscure the heavy outline between his legs. Had this been a normal circumstance, I would have eyeballed him. However, the man in front of me was a handsome weirdo!
"What the fuck are you saying? I was just trying to help-"
"Never say that help word around me, pervert! Keep your damn hands to yourself!"
Snapping at him, I indignantly matched to the cash point, paid for the energy bars I picked up, and stomped out of the convenience store still pissed at him. What awful luck to meet someone like him!
Julia and Evan were the perfect couple-or so she thought. But everything changed when Evan abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and unable to tell him she was carrying his child. Years later, Julia has built a life for herself and her son, Andy, while Evan has risen to unimaginable wealth and success. Their paths cross again at a chance meeting, but Julia soon discovers Evan has moved on with someone else. Julia is done with the pain. She's fought battles alone, raising a son who deserves the truth about his father, even if Evan doesn't deserve her forgiveness. When Julia told Evan years ago she had something to say, he didn't listen. Now, it's time for him to listen. But is it too late to reclaim what he lost? "We should break up," he'd said, the words cutting through her like glass. The pregnancy test in her pocket stayed hidden, just like the child they would never share. Now, it's Evan's turn to hear the truth-and to face his deepest regret.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
"You're pathetic!" Brenden sneered, each word cutting deep into Corinna's heart. Years of emotional wounds had drained every ounce of love she once held. "I've wasted enough time on you. If there's a next life, I hope we never meet again." Her words severed the bond between them like a blade. From that moment on, Brenden was haunted by her absence—unable to sleep, longing for the warmth he took for granted.
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.