Instant I Do could be Kris Zavala's big break. She's right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. And $100,000 wouldn't hurt either. D'Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. She's sort of neglected to come out to her mom for years, so a big splashy fake wedding is just the excuse she needs. All they have to do is convince their friends and family they're getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they're not for real, they're out. Selling their chemistry on camera is surprisingly easy, and it's still there when no one else is watching, which is an unexpected bonus. Winning this competition is going to be a piece of wedding cake. But each week of the competition brings new challenges, and soon the prize money's not the only thing at stake.
There wasn't too much in my life that I could complain about; I had a career that I loved, a group of friends that I would do anything for—who had my back in return—and my family wanted for nothing. Most importantly, I was content with pretending that I didn't want something that I couldn't have anyway. The desire was always there, but there were rules in place that were never to be broken.
But then those rules were shattered when two of my friends hooked up, and my world instantly tilted on its axis.
Once Shad and Aisha became a couple, the urges that I'd suppressed for years not only resurfaced but demanded that I take action. With my number one excuse no longer viable, the only thing standing between me and the woman I love is the fact that she doesn't take me seriously. I've never backed down from a challenge in my life, and I'd be a fool to start when what I want is so close that I can taste her. Instead of trying to explain to Monie that we were perfect for one another, I was going to convince her of it by showing her that I'd always been the man she needed.
'I can't even see straight until I've had my face in between your legs.'
After a night of heavy drinking with her coworkers, Seraph succumbs to an erotic dream in where she receives pleasure beyond her wildest imagination. It's a brand of filthy that she enjoys but something about it is simultaneously wrong, though she can't put her finger on why. What she does know is that she can't deny how good it feels and isn't sure she wants it to stop.
When she awakens mid-climax, she comes face to face with a nightmare that she can't escape. At every turn he's there, and he won't take no for an answer. As she is relentlessly pursued, her defenses crumble until she has no fight left in her--just as he intended.
What if we could buy a vow to right our wrongs?
For Nedra Phillips, the strain of portraying a strong Black woman to outsiders is finally taking its toll on her. Her marriage to her college sweetheart has begun to fizzle out, with conversations dwindling down to nothing and intimacy becoming sporadic at best. Unwilling to endure the stigma of being a 30-something divorcee, she does everything in her power to hold onto her marriage, but Chris isn't just on a different page, he's in a whole other book entirely. Despite their disconnect, her vows meant something to her and marriage is supposed to be forever. When all seems lost, she makes a last-ditch effort in hopes of generating results, but what exactly does a Hail Mary look like between friends and lovers?
Jermaine Hawkins is nearing the end of a prominent career playing professional basketball and is ready to put his retirement plan into action. That plan includes many things but most important on the list is putting an end to his status as a hermit and starting a family. A chance encounter with a firecracker of a woman makes him think he's found his capital F. But whether that F is for 'future' or 'frustrating' is to be determined. Can Jermaine convince Nedra that everything happens for a reason while also getting her to give him a chance at something real?
It wasn’t too long ago that I would have told you I was too smart to fall for the friends-with-benefits okie doke. I would have said it was a setup that was doomed to fail each and every time. I had friends who had been there, done that, and got the keyed car and broken windows to prove it. I didn’t need to experience it for myself to know that I was good on that. That’s what I would have said before if anyone wanted to know my opinion. In a way, I still thought like that, except…
I’d known Aisha since I was thirteen years old and if you would have asked me, I would have said I knew her pretty well. That couldn’t have been further from the truth, and when she revealed some things to me—things I had somehow missed over all these years—I found myself uttering words I never thought I’d say. It was just an agreement. You could almost call it a selfless act on my part. I was just being a good friend.
The thing was, I forgot who drew the lines in the sand and before long I found myself caught up in the more-than-friendly benefits with my very good friend.
Author’s Note: This is short, steamy read featuring explicit language and situations. If either of those offend you, this might not be the story for you.
