In the midst of family turmoil Sadie meets Holly and falls in love for the first time.Can Sadie overcome the lies of the past to build a brighter future?

    There will be begging and there will be bruises, but all leading to an obliterating climax. The fifteen lesbian stories of dominance and submission contained within the pages of From Top To Bottom will make you flinch like the characters do, will make you squirm and want to turn the pages faster and faster. You will find first-time players and long-term couples. A plethora of paddles and the occasional flogger—and a great number of sore backsides. Be warned.With stories from experienced writers at the top of their game and thrilling new talents alike, all of them exploring power dynamics from top to bottom, this collection is kinky, daring and, at times, deliciously violent. Read at your own risk.Chasing the Dragon by S.E. HillDance for Me by Janelle RestonSerious Swimmer by J. Belle LambCall for Submission by Elna HolstTell Me by Robyn NyxTaking the Lead by Lauren JadeThe Antisocial Sister by Lucy FelthouseOne Hundred Strokes by Sinclair SexsmithThe Encounter by Eden DarrySecretly Submissive by Brooke WintersInside by Leandra VaneVegas Mistress by Samantha LuceHit The Top by Robin WatergroveNot Yet by Harper BlissLatin Lessons by Lise MacTagueFifteen truly exceptional stories that WILL make you squirm in your seat

    At thirty-seven, she didn't have the time to explore. She was never supposed to be alone, not in this world. One devastating day would crush everything she had ever known, but deep down, she knew there was more to life than business. Alexis Foster wasn't looking for love. With work commitments only growing by the day, a life of 'arrangements' as a high-class escort appeared to be the way forward. After all, at twenty-five, Alexis had all the time in the world to settle down. A simple decision would change their lives, but with a past ever-present for one of them, and a past lurking for the other, one of them must decide if she can give her all. Is it too good to be true? Or can the heart be given away more than once?

    With a renowned jazz musician for a father and a world-famous mentor growing up, she is convinced her path is easy. Until her world is suddenly silenced when she loses her hearing. Juliet Hamilton is a prodigy violinist. First chair for nearly fifteen years in the New York Philharmonic and a professor at the conservatory, she is engulfed in her career with no time for distractions. Especially not a beautiful young graduate student with a spirited personality that challenges her every step.When Emma and Juliet’s paths cross in the classroom, their connection is undeniable. When their music comes together, it is unstoppable. The bond they begin to form threatens to challenge more than just their opinions of music. Friendships, ethics, and careers are tested as Emma and Juliet find themselves lost in a concerto of fiery passion and heartbreak. 105,000 words

    That’s when things go from bad to worse. Home to celebrate her dad’s birthday, Gwen discovers her mom is sick and might not have much time left. She stays to help and to repair the emotional rift that has kept them apart for so long. That’s easier said than done, though, because oh-so-perfect Lila Machowicz has all but replaced Gwen as Carol Carter's surrogate daughter. Gwen and Lila are forced to work together to support the woman they both care about, even though they’re rivals for a place in Carol’s life. The last thing either expects is an attraction as undeniable as it is inconvenient. When Lila helps Gwen rebuild trust with her mom, Gwen’s heart begins to thaw. But every family has a closet full of skeletons, and when she discovers the family secret, will she ever be able to trust Lila again?Cover Artist: Tammy SeidickGenres: Contemporary / RomanceTags: Enemies to Lovers Romance, Homecoming, Age Gap, Small Town RomancesWords: 86,000

    She’s been dreaming of her new boss for months but only getting icy stares in return. When tensions rise, Chloe is ready to walk out, but Monroe pulls her back in with a promised work trip to India for the two of them. When things go horribly wrong somewhere over the Atlantic will their attraction get the better of them or will the stress finally tear them apart?

    One of the youngest library directors in the state, she has been climbing ladders for so long she’s forgotten what life is like outside the library. Not that she has time for love and all that mushy stuff - Westbrook Public Library is the most challenging place she’s ever worked, and every day there’s a new crisis to avert.Her new library page, for one.Chelle Tate is young, wild, and free, with fiery red hair and a confidence that instantly draws Mira in – perhaps too close, as Mira finds herself crossing professional boundaries against her better judgment.As tensions mount between the two women, so do the bizarre occurrences at the library – boycotts and vandalism and sex in the stacks all conspire to threaten Mira’s job and keep her from finding balance and happiness with Chelle.Mira finds love in the stacks, but will she have the courage to pursue it?

    She can’t get off without fantasizing about submitting to intimate examinations—performed by a hot female nurse. When she joins a medical fetish website, she expects to find a partner who’ll provide a little probing and maybe some sexual release to help Avery get in touch with her kinky side.Then she meets Nurse Lovette…The consummate professional, Darby Lovette is determined to keep her relationship with Avery one of nurse and patient—nearly impossible when the gorgeous woman is on the exam table, willingly submitting to unspeakably intimate “procedures”. The fact that she’s loved and lost helps Darby maintain her resolve; falling in love isn’t part of her treatment plan. But Avery’s determination to explore sex with a woman just might be the cure for what ails them both.Reader Advisory: This book employs myriad toys created especially for erotic exams, no holes barred, and, ahem…perhaps a sensual enema—or two.

    Unwilling to become Jaya’s possession, yearning for independence, Sarah refuses to leave with her and they part after a bitter fight.Six years later they meet again. Fighting to leave her past behind, but unable to resist her attraction for Jaya, Sarah agrees to try again. Jaya has to cope with new rules and new roles. When a former client threatens to expose Sarah, Jaya risks everything to protect her.Can their love survive in the real world filled with vengeful ex-lovers and deadly secrets?Tags: age gap, BDSM, businesswoman, contemporary, interracialCategory: Contemporary RomancePairing: FFWord Count: 50,000

    Not just any revenge; she’s out to mend her recently shattered heart. Her ex, Wyatt, is going to pay, and the best way to make that happen is to seduce the girl he’s always wanted but has never caught: Esme Bell. To be fair, the dark-haired bartender with the infectious laugh is the girl just about everyone wants, and Wyatt is no exception.Paige’s plan is simple, and it’s going to work. Go out with Esme, take her home, and then rub her victory in Wyatt’s face for the whole town of Castleton, Maine to see. She does reconnaissance at the bar where Esme works, and soon, the game is ON.Is Paige just going to head right for the bedroom? No. She’s more subtle than that. Paige has never really seduced anyone like this, but how hard could it be? She’s not completely devoid of sexy skills.What starts as a plot to get back at her ex turns into something a whole lot more complicated when Paige catches major feelings. Is she ready to give up her mission and put her heart on the line again? Or should she just cut her losses and call the whole thing off?

    When they meet, there is a connection for them both. But can they overcome their fears, regrets and an old love to find a future in each other?BadSquirrel's Page on The Athenaeum

    The bar is where they all go to commiserate over drinks about crappy jobs, wrecked relationships, and life in general. Everyone is family and everyone comes to Ruby’s. Even though her job sucks, Allie’s life appears to be taking an especially good turn when a gorgeous dark-haired stranger comes walking into Ruby’s and sweeps her off her feet. As much as she wants to deny how she feels, the chemistry between them is an eleven on a scale of one to ten. Struggling through a nasty divorce, Vivian Wade is not looking for any more complications in her already crazy life, but when she goes north to Portland to check on business, she sees a blonde woman who takes her breath away. Although a relationship is the last thing she wants, she cannot deny what her body is telling her. When their worlds collide, all starts perfectly, until Allie learns Ruby’s has been sold to an investor. A woman from Los Angeles, named Vivian, who plans to change everything.

    As a licensed psychologist and life coach, she helps people overcome obstacles. Her own life, on the other hand, is a disaster.Kelly Miller may not understand her brother’s rush to marry his girlfriend, but when he asks her to bake his wedding cake, it’s not as if she can refuse. She’s in the cake business, after all. At the wedding, she meets Elana—a beautiful, complicated, and seriously damaged woman. Although Kelly knows it’s crazy, she’s drawn to her nonetheless.Despite the reasons they shouldn’t be together, there’s still an undeniable something between them. All they need is a chance to enjoy their slice of the cake.

    But at night, she coaxes female students into her bed, where they’ll get an education that isn’t on the syllabus. Julia is a serial seductress who enjoys the chase and once she’s had her fun, discards her prey. However, she never chooses a virgin to take to bed, for fear they’ll get too attached. Only the more experienced girls know how to play Julia’s game and that’s the way she needs it to be. No attachments, no love.Enter Penny Stone, a small town girl who’s new to the big bad city, with a love of writing that puts her in Julia’s class. She thinks that once she has her education her life is all mapped out, with a future that holds going home to run the family shop and saving herself for marriage to her childhood sweetheart. But as she spends time in Julia’s class, she begins to feel something new and strange around her teacher, something that might derail the life set out for her.Julia knows she should leave the girl alone and stick to her strict set of rules for her conquests, but a natural chemistry pulls the two inescapably towards one another. But can innocent Penny teach jaded Julia some lessons she thought she was long past learning?

    She’s determined not to let anything stop her—not even falling in love with her aloof mentor, Dr. Emily Barnes.Emily has only ever focused on her career as a senior attending in the emergency department, and she isn’t happy about having to babysit a resident with a ten-year gap in her résumé, no matter how intriguing she is.But every time they work together, it’s not just their patients’ heartbeat that gets a little irregular. Soon, the once-clear lines between work and personal life begin to blur.When Diana’s unorthodox secret past is revealed, putting her job in jeopardy, Emily has to choose between her career and her relationship. A lesbian romance that asks how much we’d risk for love.Themes: medical romance · professional drummer · rock star life94,000 words