I also had no family, no friends, and definitely no jerk of an ex-boyfriend who thought I was boring. I was tired of being me. In Vegas, I could be anything. And then I saw him. His hungry smile wanted a taste of the new me. Only a boring person would have said no. It was reckless to follow a stranger to his bed. Dangerous to take the drink he handed me. I thought the worst regret I'd have would be a hangover, a walk of shame through the hotel. Except I didn't wake up in the hotel. Or in Vegas. I doubt my face will end up in the news. “Woman missing,” the headline would say. “A stupid person who thought she could be someone else.” I'm not someone else. I was only playing pretend. Too bad he was playing for keeps. --Author's Note-- This is a dark romance novel, it contains themes of violence and mature situations that could make readers uncomfortable.

    The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever.

    He doesn’t want to taint her with his life style. He dabbles in domination, and nothing gets him hotter than the thought of seeing her ass shine red with his hand print. But there are forces at play and people’s lives to consider. He will not succumb to her no matter how hard the temptation.Sandy has wanted Neal ever since she turned eighteen. Seven years later and he still refuses to have anything to do with her.They circle each other waiting for the other to show signs of weakness.Neal can’t stand it anymore. Sandy and her body drives him to take her.Neither anticipated the passion burning between them. However, Neal’s jealously tears them apart. When he finally opens his eyes to what he wants, could it be too late?

    It can't get any worse.CEO prodigy Hunter Carlisle is looking for an admin, and he's picked me. Filthy rich and sinfully handsome, he's the bachelor everyone wants.But he has a secret.In order to keep the job, he'll require me to f*ck, whenever and however he wants. No hearts, no flowers, no falling in love--just sex so good it should be illegal.That's not my kinda bag. I like to hold onto control with both hands. But Hunter Carlisle is a man that gets what he wants, and he wants to make the rules.My only defense is saying no, but everything in my body wants to say yes...**This is book one in a four part series, each book full length, intended for 18+. Each book has a mini-HEA to tide the reader over leading to an overall HEA and epilogue. This is a spicy book with a little humor and a few shenanigans thrown in.

    She used to be strong, have confidence...then the thing happened, and suddenly Hannah seems to have lost everything… including herself.Freshly-released from her father's hospital, she is banished from home, sent to live with an uncle who puts her to work for the summer, interning under the chief building inspector in a small Ohio town. No one knows her, yet - somehow - everyone seems to know exactly why she's there.It's while on the job that Hannah first discovers The Castle, a massive stone structure set in the wheat fields of Ohio. It's soon-to-be THE vacation destination for the kink-inclined...if the Doms who run it can ever get it properly permitted and licensed, but Hannah's nasty boss is determined that that will never happen. While on an inspection visit, one Dom in particular catches Hannah's eye: Master Sam--strong, dark, wickedly-attractive, every inch of him the very last thing someone like Hannah needs in her life.Sam Cooper sees Hannah coming a mile away, tripping on her high-heels in a poorly-fitted business suit, Girl Friday to the building-inspector who's determined to shut them down before they even open. Sam is experienced in the BDSM world, a partner in a major kink-friendly resort… definitely not his first rodeo. Yet what he sees in Hannah's astonished eyes as he gives her a private tour of The Castle makes him do something he can't believe: he slips her his business card.Will Hannah call? Of course not. Not when she's working so hard to get get back everything she's lost. She's getting better after all…Sometimes what you fight the hardest, is what you need the most."Holding Hannah " is the first book in Maren Smith's new Masters of the Castles series.

    Yet the girl's quiet pride spoke to him from across the bar, louder than a shout. Troubled, hungry, and homeless, she'd placed her trust in him. But after losing the grip on his dark desires that one fateful night, James has spent the last four years atoning for letting her down.This time I'll finally crack him.Rock band drummer Lita Regina has had enough of James' guilt. She wants the explosive man she met that night in Hollywood. The man who held nothing back and took no prisoners - save Lita. And she'll stop at nothing to revive him. Even if it means throwing herself into peril at every turn, just to get a reaction from her stoic manager.But when Lita takes her quest one step too far, James disappears from her life, thinking his absence will keep her safe. Now it's up to Lita to bring James back...and ignite an inferno of passion in the process.Listener Advisory: Rough Rhythm contains fantasies of nonconsensual sex acted upon by consenting characters. Readers with sensitivity to portrayals of nonconsensual sex should be advised.Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a stand-alone story. For new listeners it's an introduction to an author's world. And for fans it's a bonus book in the author's series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.

    Fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust. Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except open his heart. He has held the world at arm’s length…but the beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. As desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. If Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul . . .Married By Morning (Book 4)For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters—a pleasant position, with one caveat. Her charges’ older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. Cat cannot believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction. But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her response—and even more so when Leo proposes a liaison. Leo must marry and produce an heir within a year to save his family home. Catherine’s respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her. But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and tempting. The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever—unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires . . .Love in the Afternoon (Book 5)Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. The free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted…and she has resigned herself to never finding love. Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix’s friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul—and it’s becoming clear that Christopher won’t come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru’s disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru’s letters to Christopher for her. The correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep—and when Christopher comes home, he’s determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love—and a passion that can’t be denied . . .

    She’s a concert pianist in New York who lives with her longtime boyfriend and is close with her fiercely protective father—until one fateful night when she is taken in the middle of the night.In a desperate attempt to access a program that could be a threat to national security, her ability to play the piano is threatened. Her world comes crashing down when her father puts his need to protect a program over his own daughter.At the last minute, Joss finds herself whisked away by an unlikely ally. She later lands in the protective custody of none other than small-town bad boy and bar owner Derek Slade. Slade is entrusted to look after Joss and see to it that she hides behind her new persona, Jill, so that bad people don’t find her ever again.Joss has been erased. Joss is now Jill.As Joss trades her blond locks for Jill’s mahogany ones, she also takes on the strength of her new persona. Jill is someone who doesn’t put up with crap. Jill doesn’t trust easily. Jill must protect the broken heart of Joss.Joss and Slade battle an intense attraction, but she isn’t the only one with secrets. Behind Slade’s silver eyes are mysteries he’s unwilling to share. Slade knows better than to get involved with Joss, yet he finds it nearly impossible to push her away. What happens when Slade crosses the line of protector? Can he protect her when the evils of both of their pasts come back to haunt them?

    Bills were piling up, adding up to more money than I could ever make. Mom's hospital bills. My baby brother's tuition. My tuition. Rent. Electricity. All of it on my shoulders. And I had just lost my job. There was no hope, no money in my account, no work to be found. And then, just when I thought all hope was lost, I found an envelope in the mail. No return address. My name on the front, my address. Inside was a check, made out to me, in the amount of ten thousand dollars. Enough to pay the bills and leave me some left over to live on until I found a job. Enough to let me focus on classes. There was no name on the check, just "VRI Inc.," and a post office box address for somewhere in the city. No hint of identity or reason for the check or anything. No mention of repayment, interest, nothing…except a single word, on the notes line: "You." Just those three letters.If you receive a mysterious check, for enough money to erase all your worries, would you cash it?I did.The next month, I received another check, again from VRI Incorporated. It too contained a single word: "belong."A third check, the next month. This time, two words. Four letters. "To me."The checks kept coming. The notes stopped. Ten thousand dollars, every month. A girl gets used to that, real quick. It let me pay the bills without going into debt. Let me keep my baby brother in school and Mom's hospice care paid for. How do you turn down what seems like free money, when you're desperate? You don't. I didn't.And then, after a year, there was a knock on my door. A sleek black limousine sat on the curb in front of my house. A driver stood in front of me, and he spoke six words: "It's time to pay your debt."Would you have gotten in?I did.It turns out $120,000 doesn't come free.

    Each story was specifically written for this anthology.The goal of the Cocktales Anthology is to raise funds to fight against obstruction of creative expression. Specifically, what we believe are obstruction attempts through the trademarking of common (single) words for titicular use in books / or as a book series (eBooks, print, and audio).*ALL* net profits will be donated to:1) Authors already impacted by creative-obstruction (10%), and2) Romance Writers of America (RWA) (90%) as a general donation intended for their Advocacy Fund.Disclaimer: This anthology is not being conducted on behalf of RWA, nor does RWA endorse this anthology or effort. They have, however, graciously agreed to accept the funds.Authors with material included (as they appear in the anthology):Nana Malone, USA Today Bestselling author – ForewordDylan Allen – 'Cocked and Loaded'Jana Aston, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Double Cocked'Whitney Barbetti – 'Cocksure Grin'Author Sawyer Bennett, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'A Wicked, Cocky Plan'K.f. Breene, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Magical Cock and Bull'Ruth Clampett, Amazon top 20 Bestselling Author – 'Don’t Get Cocky'L.H. Cosway, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Illusionist Seeks Neanderthal'Mariah Dietz – 'Landmines'Amy Daws, Amazon Top 25 Bestselling author – 'Cock and Balls'BB Easton, Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author – 'Cocky BB: Two Boys, One Prom.'Jaymin Eve, USA Today Bestselling author – 'The Cockier the Dragon, the Harder They Fall'Emma Hart, NYT and USA Today Bestselling author – 'Tricky Bond'Staci Hart, Amazon Top 10 Bestselling author – 'Cockamamie'Jessica Hawkins, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Couture'Julie Johnson Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author – 'Culinary Cock-Up'Karpov Kinrade, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Crimson Cocktail'Adriana Locke, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Swag'Lex Martin, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Love & Hate at the Stallion Station'Aly Martinez, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Going Down'Katyi McGee - USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocksure Co-Star'Corinne Michaels, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cockblocked'Liv Morris, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Getting It Up'Red Phoenix, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Her Cocky Russian'Daisy Prescott, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Confessions of a Cockblocked Wingman'Jessica Prince – ‘A Cocky Corruption Engagement’Meghan Quinn, Amazon Top 20 Bestselling Author – 'Fight or Flight'CD Reiss, NYT and USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Capo'Penny Reid, WSJ and USA Today Bestselling author – 'Beard and Hen'Julie Richman, USA Today Bestselling author – 'The Color of Love'Aleatha Romig, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Aligned'Kennedy Ryan, Top 40 Amazon Bestselling author – 'All'Kylie Scott, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Short Story with Mal and Anne from The Stage Dive Series'Sierra Simone, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Until the Cock Crows'Tara Sivec, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Chocolate and Cockup'Kate Stewart, Amazon Top 30 Bestselling author – 'The Golden Sombrero'Leia Stone, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Alpha'Karla Sorensen – 'Tristan & Anna: A Bachelors of the Ridge short story'Rachel Van Dyken, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Mafia'April White, Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author – 'Code of Conduct'

    When he trained her to be a domme, she experienced just how hot things could get with the sexy executive. She was ready to hand him everything—including her heart. But Gibson backed away, declaring them incompatible. He’s a dominant, and Sam’s no submissive.But after an attack shakes Sam to her core, Gibson tracks her down at her family’s rundown farmhouse and makes her an offer. He’ll stay the week and be hers in every way—a helping hand for the renovation and a willing lover in her bed. He swore he’d never give up control to anyone again, but he hasn’t been able to touch another woman since Sam. Maybe a week alone with her will cure him of his relentless craving. But one taste only makes them want more, and Sam and Gibson are drawn in deeper than ever. The man who won’t give in has just met the girl who won’t give up…

    The one your man dreams about. I live up to my name… CLUBWHORE. And this is my story. She needs something. Something Devil’s Renegade MC Sergeant at Arms Bryce is more than willing to give. But he’s not the kind of man who asks. He takes. And soon, he will take her. He’ll dominate her. He’ll captivate her. She’ll be his—no patches…no property…no titles. Only her. Only him. She thinks this is her story to tell. It very well may be. But he's fixing to rewrite it. Note: This is a full-length standalone Devil's Renegade Motorcycle Club novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

    They're wrong. Get all three books in this urban fantasy romance. A Step Into the Dark (Ollie Wit Book One) Ollie Wit is the strongest Shadow Walker born in decades but it’s a gift with a steep price. Walking in the Shadowlands can bring untold powers and spells, and even greater risks. Every step into that other world brings her closer to the monsters that have haunted her since a child, destroyed her family and wreaked havoc all around her. Kane knows Ollie is the key to getting the spell he needs and he’s the answer to ending her torment. But it’s a bargain that brings her closer to her own destruction. Even if she succeeds, will she be able to walk away from the newfound power that comes with walking in the Shadowlands? Walking in the Dark (Ollie Wit Book Two) Some people find power in the light. Others are meant to walk in the dark. Ollie Wit left it all behind: a new home, friends who saw her as something more than a fragile shadow walker and a budding relationship with Kane. She did it all in an effort to shield Asher, who should’ve never been able to escape the Shadowlands. Now her money is gone, her hopes of saving other shadow walkers has slipped through her fingers, and Kane won’t speak to her. She’s been abducted by leprechauns, who think she has committed an unspeakable crime. The vampires want her dead and there’s a crawler blowing up End of the Rainbows. Kane might not want to work with her, but he’s going to have to because all hell is breaking loose in Boston. Kissed by the Dark (Ollie Wit Book Three) Life with Kane is wonderful, right up until it’s not. People like me, Shadow Walkers, who know that monsters are real and nightmares don’t only happen when you’re sleeping, are always waiting for the worst. But no one believes me when I tell them disaster is looming, not even Kane, the man who has seen more than I can imagine. When the worst does happen, I’m not prepared. Months of my life are wiped from my memory, strangers call me friend, and it looks like I’m conspiring with the enemy. I need a back-up plan. Only problem is, if I have one I don’t remember it. I don’t remember anything, like who to trust and who to hate. Someone screwed with my life and they’re going to pay. But do I trust Kane to help me when all I can remember is that I hate him?

     Before he became her teacher, he had to be a student. Before he becomes her everything, he has to tell her all… As Cole and Sasha prepare to become one permanently, they have a visit from old friends. Fritz and Kate aren’t in town for long, but Fritz recently found a journal he wants Cole to have. Sasha doesn’t understand why Cole is so secretive about a journal from years ago. She tries to ignore her growing unease, but the delivery of a mysterious red envelope changes everything. Cole has demanded complete honesty from Sasha. Is he prepared to give her the same?

    As part of his conditioning methods, her captor refuses to speak to her, knowing how much she craves human contact. He's far too beautiful to be a monster. Combined with his lack of violence toward her, this has her walking a fine line at the edge of sanity.Told in the first person from Emily's perspective, Comfort Food explores what happens when all expectations of pleasure and pain are turned upside down, as whips become comfort and chicken soup becomes punishment.DISCLAIMER: This is not a story about consensual BDSM. This is a story about “actual” slavery. If reading an erotic story without safewords makes you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. This is a work of fiction, and the author does not endorse or condone any behavior done to another human being without their consent.