He was a tight man. Everything about him was close and quiet; his gestures were short and clean, with no wasted movement. His eyes were bright and hard, the kind of blue you might see in the sky at high noon, if you looked straight up at the sky; almost white, but still pale, pale blue. He had dark yellowish circles under his eyes that rested on his cheekbones where the skin was drawn tight, as if he might have liver trouble from too much drinking, but he was physically sound and the circles came from playing stud poker all day and all night for many years. He had been playing in the back room of Hoban’s Pool Room and Poker Parlor since Monday at 4 p.m. It had started out as fooling around and then, as happened so many times, it developed into a game. The others began to drop in and a gig was working. It was nickel-and-dime stuff as long as it was The Kid and The Shooter and Pig, but when Carey and Carmody came in, both of whom bet the Cardinals and had won nicely over the weekend double-header, the play moved, deceptively, from nickel-and-dime to a quarter and a half and then wide open. It was Wednesday now, eleven in the morning. The game, like an endlessly circling bird, moved with a slow inexorable pace toward the center pot of money that grew magically with each dealt hand; revolving hands of cards, accompanied with a musical comment of silver upon silver tossed into the center of the table as the chant was heard, so soft as to be a litany calling on ghostly assistance and deliverance. “Queens bet.” “A half.” “In.” “Kicking it a half.” “And another half.” “And a half more.” “Buck and a half to me, and a half more.” The ritual quickened. It was the fourth card. Now the whisper and flutter of paper money would wash into the middle of the table. Someone dealt. The cards sliced through the smoky airless room like silent stealing death. And with each card, face up, a chant of destiny from the dealer, for he was the sole instrument in the life of a rambling-gambling man, bringing face up for all the world to see the next wonderful secret. There is nothing more for the gambling man. It is all there, sealed in the narrow turn of the next card. “A five to the queens, a jack to the possible, a nothing to the fours, an ace to the kicker, and the Gun shoots himself a red ten. Still queens.” “Queens check.” The raiser came back with a touch, a breath, feeling his way into those checking queens like a man fumbling in the dark. He touched it and then the queens slammed down hard on him. “Twenty dollars.” It was the clap of doom. Three players dropped out and it was back to the raiser. He hesitated. He knew three fours could not beat three queens. And to make sure (though there was another card coming and another chance) there were three queens, it would cost him twenty dollars. Pig had the fours. The Kid had the queens. They looked at each other’s cards. They were past the point as rambling-gambling men where they could play each other’s faces. Pig played the cards. There was no hope in playing The Kid. And it was not worth twenty dollars to see if The Kid was bluffing. He folded. The Shooter gathered up the cards and began to shuffle. In his huge hands the cards were like summer moths around a light, fluttering, singing, tightening and then disappearing as he cut them and rippled them again. The Shooter was acknowledged as the best man with cards along the Mississippi and west to Vegas. He looked over at The Kid who was stacking his half dollars. “They say Lancey is in town,” he said softly.

    Feeling like what they have is real, Canary’s more than willing to go however many rounds necessary with Kalena to get her point across. Just when Canary thinks things have settled down, Laxton hits her with another curveball: baby talk. Still scarred from her prior miscarriage, the thought of parenthood scares Canary, but Laxton just might be the one to help her overcome her fear. Canary is like a breath of fresh air to Laxton and his family, and the only thing that could make life better is Canary saying she’s ready to call Houston home. With his eye on the prize, Laxton is focused on the future and putting a few babies up in Canary, but his past won’t let him be great. No matter how much he pushes her away, Kalena is the ultimate headache for Laxton and refuses to let the next chick replace her. Kalena says nothing but death can keep her from Laxton, but the question is, whose life will be lost when it’s all said and done? Kenji and Silk may seem like the most unlikely couple, but when she agrees to stick by his side after finding out just how he makes his money, he knows he’s got a real one for sure. Kenji’s heart tells her that Silk is the one, and when he introduces her to his family, he knows Kenji is all he’ll ever need. When they least expect it, a bomb that Makiyah drops threatens to shatter the love Kenji and Silk think they’re building together. Will he be able to love Kenji past her flaws, or will their perfect love story end before they can make it to the altar? On top of that, Silk learns some shocking news that has him out for blood. Determined to destroy all that threatens his mission to uncover the truth, Silk just might sacrifice someone in his inner circle. Makiyah is hit with the ultimate betrayal when she learns the truth about her sister, Maleeah, and Ali. Through it all, the one thing that’s kept her smiling is knowing her mother will be released from prison soon. Maleeah has other plans, though, and when she shows up to steal her sister’s thunder yet again, Makiyah is faced with a hard decision: stay true to her love for Ali, or make him and Maleeah pay for their betrayal. Which path will she choose? Get ready to jump right back to the thick of things with Canary, Laxton, Kenji, Silk, Makiyah, and Keylon as they all fight to win the same thing: the heart of a real one.

    It is not meaning that the individual searches for in their life, but at the ground level, what the person is seeking is hope, life-lessons, the truth and a dash of motivation every now and then. All this search makes one feel a sense of fulfilment in their life. Learning is a part of life and man’s quest for life-lessons will never cease until death. Presenting you a collection of short stories, which is an attempt to make you see life and its subtle messages through a different lens.

    One of the hostages has friends in high places and Spider Shepherd is put on the case. But as Shepherd closes in on his quarry he realises that there's much more at stake than the lives of the hostages and that the pirates are involved in a terrorist plot that will strike at the heart of London. False FriendsThe most wanted man in the world is dead. Now those loyal to him seek revenge. When Navy Seals track down and kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, al-Qaeda realise they have a traitor in their midst. After the false friends are revealed to be two British students, Malik and Chaudhry, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd must teach the pair how to survive undercover. True ColoursThe Russian oligarchs are the world's new elite. They treat the world as their plaything, travelling without borders and living lives of unimaginable luxury without fear or restraint. But when an assassin starts killing off some of the world's richest men, an oligarch with friends in high places seeks the protection of MI5. And Spider Shepherd is placed in the firing line.

    He's smart, successful, happily-married-and has the best of everything. But ambitious business executive Ryan can't stop thinking about the woman he can't have: Olivia. She's his friend, his co-worker...and his best friend Miles's wife. It only takes one irresistible moment, one luscious taste, to ignite their relationship into an insatiable fire... CAN BECOME YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES... But Ryan's erotic fantasies are slowly unraveling his career, marriage, and friendships as he discovers his mind-blowing tryst was nothing more than a treacherous charade. Now his obsession and sexual escapades threaten to ruin all he's worked so hard for, trapping him deeper into a web of illicit desire, deceit, and danger...

    

    Bridie O’Hara, a beautiful young girl, is torn away from her native Ireland by her father – a freedom fighter, turned traitor, when he has to flee the wrath of the Fenians. Violated by him she ends up in a correction convent. Her escape, and meeting up with Bruiser Armitage, a pimp, sets her fate. One man tries to save her, Will Hadler, a kind, hard-working miner, whose love for Bridie knows no bounds. His rescue of her brings her happiness, but the demons inside her never give her peace. When Andrew Harvey, master of Hensal Grange, takes a fancy to her it is the beginning of Bridie sinking back into degradation. Her daughter, Bridget pays the price. Unprotected by her drunken mother, Bridget suffers rape and the heartbreak of having to give up her child, Megan.Book Two: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND: It is 1913 and for Megan and her friend, Hattie, the time has come to take up their placements and make their way in the world. Megan’s path leads her to fall into a marriage with a man she does not love and at whose hands she suffers beatings and rape. With Hattie’s help she finally escapes, but her path crosses that of the beautiful, rich and powerful, Laura Harvey. It is Laura’s need to have her wish at any price that triggers an eruption of violence that brings Megan near to death and sends Jack, the man both Megan and Laura love to prison, for a murder he did not commit.Hattie’s path crosses that of paedophile, Lord Marley. She is raped by him and his companion. Her ten pound silence money buys her an abortion but her choices have gone and she is forced into a life of prostitution. It is when she stumbles across an evil, child sex ring and is determined to break it that she once more encounters Lord Marley and though she succeeds in her quest and gets her revenge, she pays a terrible price. Hers and Megan’s enduring friendship bring them through.Book Three: TOMORROW BRINGS SORROWSet in 1939 – 1959, As the world faces many changes brought on by war, Megan has found happiness with Jack, but the threat of Megan’s schizophrenic son Billy, still casts a shadow over them. His release is imminent and for Sarah, Jack’s daughter, this opens up a fate she cannot fight. With her love and respect for Billy eroded over the years as she came to realise he has an evil core, Sarah now lives in fear of him and what he will do if she refuses him. Forsaking her true love, she marries Billy in an attempt to protect those who are very dear to her, but love and hate will out and the consequences are devastatingThose consequences are compounded by the incestuous love between twins Theresa and Terrence Crompton and their taking of all they need from whatever source they please.

    A war breaks out and the peaceful Gaea are no match for the brutality of the Holyan soldiers or the sheer destruction of the Holyan mages. Having no defense against the Holyan magic, the desperate Gaea hatch a plan to create a weapon capable of stopping the Gaea advance, before the weapon can be put to use, the Gaea are routed and their people were taken as slaves. Rae’al’nor was that weapon but was too young to be of any use and was taken as one of the slaves. As Rae’al’nor grows up, he is adopted by a Holyan noble and given the name Ray Riverdale. Ray was content in his life until the evil of mages is so strong he cannot ignore it any more. Join Ray as he remembers his purpose in life and transforms from prey to the Mage Slayer.

     Danger is no stranger to the heartaches of the world. After losing her adoptive mother, she almost crumbles under a domino effect of misfortune. When she meets Sleep, she thinks she’s finally found a captain to save her, but when she learns his main goal is to pimp her out, Danger wastes no time getting from under his thumb. On the run to get as far away from Sleep as possible, she lands in Dallas, where she reunites with her bestie. Free is the true definition of dangerous curves. A BBW with enough personality to steal any show, she’s quick to flash a smile that hides her own set of demons. It’s hard to be comfortable in your skin, especially when family is the main one trying to tear you down, but Free is determined to stunt on everybody that has a problem with her weight— family included. Add the kind of street smarts that make a natural born hustler, and Free is every hitta’s dream come true. Whether they can handle her is the real question. Stranger is a self-made boss in his own right, a dude whose name rings bells in the streets and commands respect even while he’s locked up. Growing up with a schizophrenic for a mother made him unbreakable, but not above the law when he gets caught slipping. Done serving his time, he only has two things on his mind: hitting the streets and getting to the money by any means necessary. After stumbling across a connect and an offer he can’t refuse, Stranger agrees to collect a blood debt in exchange for the keys to the streets. Will his decision cost him more than he’s willing to give up? Where Stranger is a silent killer, Spazz, his younger brother, leaves a path of destruction with anything he touches. Wild, rude, and reckless, he’s ready to get it poppin’ if you even look at him wrong, and there’s only one thing that can tame his temper: his five-year-old daughter. With a mouth to feed and a street legacy to claim, he’s down with no hesitation when Stranger brings him into his plan to re-claim the streets. With his brother by his side, Spazz is ready to put his city on the map. Stranger never let his heart take his focus off the money, until he meets Danger. Mesmerized by her effortless beauty, he just has to have her, but there’s one problem: she’s on the arm of the same guy he’s planning to take down. Is he willing to kill for love? Spazz always gets what he wants, and he knows Free will be his from the minute he meets her. Never being attracted to BBWs in the past, he’s powerless against Free’s hypnotizing thickness, and her confidence and slick mouth are just the type of bonus that makes her worth the chase. Will he convince Free to take a chance on a real one? Ain’t nothin’ like lovin’ a savage, and once you get inside the head of one, your life will never be the same. Take a journey with Danger, Free, Stranger, and Spazz as they try to cheat the past for the future. Nothing goes as planned in love, especially once you’re Turned out by a Savage.

    That was until I found my fiancé having sex with my sister in the church moments before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. I grew up with a famous rock star father who was nothing but a womanizer who cheated on my mother every chance he got. Cheating and lying was all I ever grew up with and I vowed never to live the life my mother did. Wanting to start a fresh new life, I moved from Seattle to Santa Monica to focus on my passion for photography. No men. No lies. No hassles. No love. Until I met Luke Matthews.My name is Luke Matthews. A year ago, I lost the love of my life, my fiancée, in a tragic car accident. My life and all my dreams died with her that day, and I do nothing now but exist and play my guitar to try and ease the pain. My love was taken away and that was something I would never get that back. Then I met Lily Gilmore.What happens when the lives of two people who no longer believe in love are suddenly changed by fate?

    Dick Frank is the skipper of the old wooden 59 foot schooner. Does she carry a curse, or is there another explanation for the strange happenings? If you are a fan of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, or just love a good mystery, then immerse yourself in the hauntingly eerie tale of the Salute.

    . .The Maxwells and the Popes have been friends forever. The women were college roommates, their husbands are partners in the same law firm, their kids have grown up next door to each other, and the two families share both vacations and holidays.Like Wisteria Lane, the "perfect" suburban street of Desperate Housewives, all is beautiful and serene -- until an accident forces these close neighbors to look beneath the surface. And when their idyllic lives are unexpectedly shattered by a moment that can never be erased or forgotten, their faith in one another -- and in themselves -- is put to the supreme test.In this moving, unforgettable story, Barbara Delinsky exquisitely captures the depth and complexity of the human heart as few writers can.

    On a cold February day, both women leave home hoping to rebuild their lives, not knowing their worlds will soon collide.When fate eventually brings them to Tenley House, the home of a bitter, domineering matriarch who controls her fickle son and terrorises her adoptive granddaughter, the women find themselves in danger. Behind the facade of propriety, amidst secrets and lies, the truth will unfold when evil is awakened… Hiding in plain sight and sworn to avenge the wrongs of the past, something stalks the corridors of Tenley. It listens and waits patiently, lurking in shadows, tormenting its prey and when the time is right, begins to strike down the occupants of Tenley, one by one... Deceptively dark with a creeping sense of menace, this is the tale of two young women drawn together by circumstance and heartbreak. Patricia Dixon is the bestselling author of Over My Shoulder and They Don't Know. Death's Dark Veil is a suspenseful and brooding psychological thriller which will appeal to fans of authors like Lisa Jewell, Lianne Moriarty and Kerry Fisher.

    This monthly Urban Soap, "Single Ladies" takes you to a whole nother level of play. There will be no holding back, no biting of the tongue and best believe the gloves are coming off when five childhood friends take you through the everyday life of living as a female in the hood. Expect everything... But boredom!!!

    By 2062, we are burdened by the weight of unchecked population growth and global warming has reduced our inhabitable space by half. With our workplace frustratingly neutered by the Genderless Act, we came to embrace sex in trystrooms—where anything goes—and it’s all kept secret by the Privacy Act. Combined concern for humankind and the planet drives innovation, and businesses thrive in an environment where unemployment and poverty have been eliminated. The Government Reorganization and Realignment Effort enables one group of brilliant young designers to reclaim some of the ever-shrinking space—but bringing it to market exposes manipulation and corruption on a devastating, worldwide scale.