Every city has an underworld leader. In the Kingpins series, each author will take us to a different city and introduce us to a new Kingpin who rules the streets in their respective city. Then after every author has written about their select city, Carl will end with a compilation of all kingpins in one book.

    Amaryllis Price, once a relationship destroyer and professional husband stealer has turned her life around. Now that she's made a vow to live right and walk the straight and narrow, Amaryllis finds herself at a crossroads when her past catches up with her. Charles Walker, a man Amaryllis could never resist, appears, and he's even sexier than Amaryllis remembered. Will she remain celibate and resist the wiles of the devil?Bridgette Nelson, Amaryllis's best friend and roommate, is next in line for a promotion. But when she unleashes a harsh tongue against her boss's nephew, Bridgette is forced to change her vocabulary or lose the very thing that she worked so hard to get.

    Raised by her father, a ruthless Mexican drug cartel boss, and her mother, a strong-spirited black woman with an MBA from Harvard, it's no surprise that when Alexus graduates from high school text books to kilos of cocaine and heroin, she quickly becomes one of the best to ever do it in the dope game. After her father, Juan "Papi" Costilla, is sent away to federal prison, Alexus soon finds herself in Michigan City, Indiana with her mother, Rita Mae Bishop. With $250,000 in cash and 48 kilos of pure cocaine--stuffed inside large soup cans and smuggled into the country through her family's drug tunnel-- Alexus sets out to build herself a BMF-like drug-dealing ring, utilizing the connections of her numerous lovers to maximize her bankroll. But will she survive the wrath of the Costilla cartel when a portion of it turns against her? Find out in...

    He has a father he looks up to and an older brother who keeps him under his wing--until the day his father crosses a line that changes everything. Tone is forced to enter a world he knew nothing about. Detective Abraham is obsessed with power and money, so he has figured out a way to play on both sides of the tracks when it comes to organized crime. The only thing stopping him from making it to the top spot is Santiago, one of the most feared suppliers in the country. Santiago's only weakness is his daughter, Serena. Detective Abraham develops a plan that involves his son, Tone, getting close to Serena.Against his better judgment, Tone goes along with his father's plan and sets out to win Serena over with his charm. What he hasn't planned on is Serena turning the tables and stealing his heart. Now Tone is faced with choices that leave him questioning his loyalty to his family.

    The good life wasn't handed to him on a silver platter, though. Growing up in the Cleveland ghetto, his father was shot by a drug addict, he worked the streets to help his sister through college, and he made his fair share of enemies along the way.Yet not even his tough upbringing prepared him for the mysterious DVD that showed up on his doorstep, its contents revealing an explicit sexual encounter between his wife and another man, whose face was purposely blurred. Sierra's betrayal is heart wrenching, and Denmark's on the warpath to find out the identity of the man behind it. One thing's sure: It's someone close to him.Suddenly everyone is suspect, especially his two best buddies, and he'll stop at nothing to exact his revenge-even if it means sleeping with their wives to get it. But when Denmark takes justice into his own hands, he discovers a truth even more shocking than his wife's infidelity. . . .In this gritty revenge tale, Freddie Lee Johnson III takes us into the mind of a man consumed with grief and rage. Full of jump-off-the-page characters and fast-paced drama, Other Men's Wives is an explosive ride fueled by love, lust, and deceit.

    His former identity as a successful investment banker and eligible bachelor has disappeared. A beleaguered graduate student, she's got no money, no man, and no Ph.D., yet. A year of predoctoral research in Haiti leaves Noire drained. And a trip home to Côte d'Ivoire offers Innocent little more than intermittent sexual gratification. In the aftermath of 9/11, Innocent and Noire are back in New York City and find solace in each other's bed. But even that arrangement collapses under the weight of Innocent's revelation that he has unfinished business in Africa. For Innocent and Noire, patching together their unraveling lives becomes an exercise in hope and humility. With Hunger, Turnipseed lives up to the promise of A Love Noire and has matured into a writer who fearlessly explores the intersection of sex, love, identity, and loss in a cross-cultural context.

    After years of being a victim of domestic violence, Skye is caught between their extravagant lifestyle and his controlling behavior, but knows she has to get out. In a desperate attempt, Skye flees the abusive marriage with her three children in tow, and vows never to go back. She even begins a new life with a new identity, but lives in fear, knowing that Sandino won t rest until he finds them. Brace yourself as a shattered woman is determined to rebuild her life and protect her family at all cost, even if it means death. Besides, who wouldn t fight against their most treacherous enemy; even if it is your own husband?

    I. C. Miller is a gifted high school athlete with a basketball scholarship from Georgia State University. He leaves behind an up and coming hood-rat named Tamara Jenkins who claims to be pregnant with I. C.'s child. Things take a downward spike when I. C. is charged with rape and murder. He is sentenced to death by lethal injection. After years of tricking for money, Tamara lands a job as a prison guard with the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. Soon after, Tamara realizes that her baby daddy is on death row at the prison that she works and will soon be executed for a hideous crime. It is only when she discovers that he may be innocent of his crime that she has a choice of either helping her baby daddy, or doing nothing and letting him die, Innocent.

    Two feuding cities. One woman. One was born in our nations capital, Washington DC. The other is a native of Murder City, Baltimore. Despising the other's city made them rivalries before even meeting. It didn't matter that they both grew up on violent streets surrounded by drugs and poverty. Soon, need arises and they're forced to cross each other's paths. But when they do, hate from generations before them rises and their meeting becomes intense.Many years later... an opportunity presents itself for them to put their dislikes aside to make millions. They agree, and quickly become the richest men on the east coast. One has a quick temper... the other has quick wit and this combination makes them unstoppable. There alliance unites soldiers from both DC and Baltimore as they solidify their empire.Defying all enemies, their bond tightens and they become the best of friends. But what happens when a woman becomes involved whose beauty is so intoxicating, that to get another woman like her would be impossible? War. The Face That Launched a Thousand Bullets is a classic love story. The love of money. The love of power. The love of a woman.

    Fueled by her crooked grandfather s blood and her gold-digging grandmother s teachings, Kyla mastered the arts of manipulation and seduction at an early age. While other girls were learning simple addition and subtraction, Kyla was being trained to divide men from boys in hopes of multiplying her funds. As she propels through adolescence and into her teenaged years, Kyla s heartbreaking beauty and notorious sex appeal become her trademarks. The more attention she receives, the more she craves; and she seizes every opportunity to increase her status in her urban St. Louis community. Kyla truly believes that the world and everything in it is at her disposal. That is, until she meets Shard Phaylon, a suave and powerful young kingpin in the illegal drug trade. From the beginning, the mysterious Shard presents an alluring challenge that spoiled Kyla has never before had to face. In an effort to live up to her family name, she blindly and tirelessly pursues him and his many assets. Kyla s misguided affection quickly blossoms into complete devotion; and she soon finds herself acting as a witness and eventually, an accomplice in Shard s immoral and dangerous schemes. Her newfound love for him begins to eclipse her lifelong love for the Brown family, and she becomes completely torn between the two. Just when Kyla believes that she has her life all mapped out, though, she suddenly begins to unearth bizarre and unsettling clues about Shard s past and present. It is only after Shard commits the ultimate act of betrayal that Kyla discovers the disturbing truth about him and learns an even more disturbing truth about herself.

    The hottest spot was Jazzy Jay's, and that's where one of the guys slipped his gun into her pocketbook, knowing that the police who had just descended on the club wouldn't check the girls for weapons. She didn't know his name or anything other than he was cute and charming. But when she tracked him down to return his property, she found out his name was Chino; his game was hustling; and his plan was to make her his woman, his wifey, and give her more than she ever bargained for out of life, love, and the pursuit of money.

    Late nights, early mornings, and broken promises were all that she’d ever known with Cash. Fed up with feeling like the mistress while the streets were his main chick, she broke things off with him. Now a year later, Fallon still can’t get Cash out of her head and neither could he. A chance encounter with Cash reveals that he is finally ready to make his exit from the streets and marry the woman of his dreams. There’s only one rift in their fairytale ever after…What do you do when the woman you love is already taken by your older brother? That is the dilemma that Strap faces on a daily basis. He’s loved Fallon since he was a teenager but she never took him seriously. Now a grown man, he knows that he’d be perfect for her, much more so than Cash. Will the pent up feelings Strap has for Fallon ultimately overpower his loyalty to his brother?Shantreis and her boyfriend Outlaw are the epitome of hood love. They fuss and fight only to make up in the morning. It was a routine that they were familiar with for years but now it’s starting to get old. Outlaw can’t seem to leave his baby momma Kaleesha alone, prompting Shantreis to give him a dose of his own medicine. When an old flame named Blaze comes to town, a one-night stand turns into a whirlwind affair. It seems simple who she should choose, but after Outlaw changes his ways, the decision is even harder to make.Drama kicks into high gear when lust, secrets, revenge, and lies come into play over women who are already taken.

    Five years has came and gone and Tiara tries desperately to bury her past baggage and focus on the future of raising her daughter. She tried patching up old wounds by blocking them out. Little did she know, it would all come back to haunt her. Her boyfriend Tony was sentenced to five years in prison but was released after serving only three years. Out for only two years, he tried helping Tiara and their child settle into a better life outside of the projects. But when his true colors surfaced Tiara finds herself stuck without a plan B. Cheating, lies, abuse and phony friends surround Tiara once again and she finds herself helpless. Will she finally find a way out of her constant cycle of dilemma's or settle for the same ole' street life? Continue to ride along on Tiara's journey through adulthood; find out if the madness ever ends.

    An unexpected temptation. And stakes so high no one will walk away unscathed…   Gorgeous Nicole is about to get everything she's hustled for. She's having her rich, married lover Rashad's baby. And a lucky break has made her a media heroine—and the perfect new wife material. With one more deception here, a couple more little seductions there, she'll finally push Rashad's wife, Kiara, completely out of his life. With her formidable competition gone, Nicole will lock down Rashad's ever-wandering interest, and be the next Mrs. Eason for sure… But there are some temptations even this sexy schemer finds tough to pass up. Especially her first love, ex-con Ajalon, who's just walked back into her life. His intense hunger, chiseled body, and mind-blowing endurance are throwing Nicole off her game and reigniting emotions way too hot to control—or resist. But he’s also handed Kiara, and another interested ex, the perfect ammo to expose Nicole and blow her world apart once and for all. Now the only guarantee for all involved is shattering scandal—and mutually assured destruction…Praise for the novels of Cydney Rax   “The book we can’t put down.”--Essence® on My Husband’s Girlfriend   “Fascinating, witty, and thought-provoking.” –Zane on My Daughter’s Boyfriend   “Filled with family drama.”--APOOO Book Club on My Sister’s Ex

    Beautiful and ambitious, Sienna determines that the best route to the life she wants is to become the most coveted of Chatman's call girls. When Sienna learns that her mother has been murdered and that Chatman had a role in the murder, she turns to her friend Ryan for comfort, beginning a secret relationship with the boy Chatman is grooming to take over his business. Eager to gain her independence from the man she both admires and loathes, Sienna takes steps to increase her value as a sex worker by learning her wealthy clients' cultures and languages, but her plan backfires. Chatman is more determined than ever not to let her go, and Sienna is equally intent on finding a way to break free -- no matter what it takes.