by Mia Ford
“You changed me,” he said. “You made me want to be a better man from the very first time that I met you. There were so many dark corners of my life, but you have brought your light, and now I can see everything. You made me want to be stronger, to be virtuous, and to fight for what I believed to be true. You allowed me to trust another person with my heart, something I haven’t done since my parents died. You have been my angel and my savior. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve given me. When I thought I was going to lose you, it tore my heart from my chest, and I knew that you were the only woman on this earth for me. I knew I couldn’t lose you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as he spoke those beautiful words. There was something so poetic about a woman pushing a man to be better. I was incredibly touched by how he felt about me and how he looked at his own future. I felt the same way as him, and without him, I knew that there was a good chance I wouldn’t be here. He saved my life in so many ways, and because of that, I was confused by his statement. There was no way that I could allow him to not take credit for being the man that literally saved my life. I couldn’t allow him to take away from the fact that I would have died a terrible death had he not had enough faith in me to come searching.
“I’m confused,” I said.
I turned my head toward him and looked at his beautiful eyes. He sat there thinking about what I said and I waited for him to finish, wanting to know just how much he understood where I was coming from. This was probably the most important question in our entire time of knowing each other, and for that, I did not want to rush it. There was too much at stake here. There was too much that we could lose by not being completely upfront and honest with each other. I was the one that felt as if I owed him more than my life. I had been the one that brought nothing but chaos to his. I brought death, danger, and craziness, and we had only known each other a little over a week. There was no way that I could be as important to his future and his person as he was to me. There were too many times that he talked me off a ledge and moved me to be a better person. I owed him so much, and I couldn't sit there and let him take away from all the things that he had done for me. My father was gone, and my mother was nowhere to be found. He was really the last person I had in the entire world.
“I thought you saved me,” I said, smiling. “You pulled me from the wreckage of my life and swooped in like a superhero, saving the day. You gave me hope when I had completely lost it, and you gave me strength when mine was all but gone.”
“Don’t you see,” he said, turning over on his side and staring down at me. “You rescued me from a life of loneliness. I don’t just mean relationship-wise, but companionship-wise as well. I was terrified to get close to anyone because it hurt so bad to lose my family. But when you came into the picture, you made me realize how short life really was, and that meant that I needed to open my heart to you and to the goals and dreams that I held so closely guarded. You made me not be lonely inside of my own head by pushing me to be a stronger man.”
I was speechless and didn’t even have the first clue as to what to say. He leaned forward, smiling and brushing his lips against mine. I took in a deep breath and leaned forward, laying my head back on his chest. He brushed my hair away from my face and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the waves. I was so completely and utterly in love with this man that it was insane.
As he drifted off to sleep, I stayed awake, listening to his heart and dreaming about our future. There were so many things that both of us wanted to accomplish, and though they were on different sides of the spectrum, I could tell that our lives crisscrossed right In the middle. That was what a true relationship was really about, having the ability to be your own self, but at the same time, find your paths crossing at the absolute perfect time. Blaine was that crisscross for me. He was that absolute, perfect moment in life, and I never wanted to give him up. I knew that no matter where I went in this world, Blaine would be with me every step of the way.
I turned over in the bed and snuggled my head into the pillow, feeling Blaine turn over toward me and slide his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I had loved the feeling of his arms since the first time we made love, and now, it meant even more to me, knowing that we had almost died. I couldn’t help but think that although the situation had been terrible, it was almost a blessing that it happened the way it did. I no longer had to make a decision about my future. I was free to do whatever I wanted. What I wanted the most was to have Blaine close to me every night and kiss me every morning before I went to work. It may be simple, but it sure as hell beat the mobsters.
Epilogue
Blaine
It had been two months since everything had happened. Every single one of the mob family ended up with a prison sentence, and after the judge heard what Paulie and Harry had done to Josie, he threw the book at them. I was pretty sure Harry wasn’t going to get out of prison alive this time, having made some enemies squealing on them in an attempt to get a plea bargain. The judge dropped all the charges against Josie, paid her restitution, and made a public apology for the way she was treated by the department. She didn’t seem to like the attention, but I was happy she was getting vindication. She was able to get her father cremated, and his ashes sat in the living room of my place, which is now our place, on a marble pedestal by the fireplace.
I took Josie’s hand and carefully helped her up the short flight of steps. She was blindfolded and feeling around her, trying to figure out where I was taking her. I opened the shop door and stepped inside, pulling her forward into the space. I was so excited to give her this gift, it was unbelievable. I closed the door behind us and stepped behind her, pulling the blindfold from her face.
“Ta-da,” I said, walking around and watching her face.
“Wow,” she said, looking at the open space. “But I don’t understand. What is this for?”
“This is for your project,” I said proudly. “We are now standing in your new office space.”
I watched as her eyes grew big, and she started to excitedly walk around the space. She had been invited back to teach, but there was still a bit of a stigma, so she had stayed home since then. I was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to go back to teaching, which was fine with me. She sold her father’s house and moved into mine, and now, we got to sleep in the same bed every night, which was amazing. However, with the lack of employment, she was starting to go a bit stir crazy. She just didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life. She knew that she had the passion, but she really needed the purpose. I sat down and talked to her about her dreams, reminding her that it was never too late to reach for those goals. So, after a lot of thought and about a million sheets of paper, she had started to make a lot of headway into the non-profit sector.
She was starting to run out of room at our place so I thought, what better way to show my support than to get her the space she needed to create the way she wanted to. I could already see that she was ecstatic. Everybody with an idea as big as hers needed their own space, a place to spread out and really put some power behind their ideas. Josie had my kitchen table, and I could tell she wasn’t happy about working from home. So, once I knew everything was totally safe, I bought Josie her own office that was big enough for her to expand in and to bring in employees when she reached that point.
I watched her and smiled as she walked around the room, running her hand over the desks and separators that kept each person in their own little cubicle. She was so excited, and she made me laugh loudly as she jumped up and down and squealed. She came running back over to me, throwing her arms around me and hugging me tightly.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, laughing.
“It still needs a bit of work, and new carpet and such, but when we are done with it, you will be the hottest office in all of non-profit,” I said, smiling. “Besides, you have been stuck, and I was really impressed with how much dedication you have been putting into getting this whole thing together. You are really putt
ing your heart and soul into it, and I want you to have the space to explore. I could tell the other day that you were struggling to get out of work mode when you were working from home. Now, you have a place to come to.
“Thank you so much,” she said, leaning up and giving me a big kiss. “You are the world to me. You treat me so good, it’s nuts.”
We wandered around the main area of the office a bit more, exploring the closets and the bathrooms before I nudged her and pulled her over to the corner office. The place was beautiful, already decorated for her with some of the art that she always drooled over in our place. I had the artist do some specialty pieces just for her. The windows in the building were floor to ceiling, and she gasped as she walked over and looked at the view. There were no high-rise buildings in the background, no brick walls, or parking garages. Instead, she could see way out into the ocean. The back of the building faced a private beach, and if you tilted the windows open, you could hear the sound of the waves.
“This is so amazing,” she said, shaking her head and looking out over the water. “I never thought I would have an office, let alone one that looked out over a beach.”
“On top of all that,” I said, leading her away from the window. “This is the desk you will be creating your empire from.”
“Wow,” she said, looking down at the oak desk in front of her.
She walked along, rubbing her hand across the desk and plopping down in the chair behind it. She looked at me and smiled. She looked sexy sitting there like that, and I thought about messing around in the office to break the place in. However, knowing I had somewhere I was trying to take this whole office visit, I controlled my urges and stepped back.
“Now,” I said, standing back. “Turn your chair to the right and open the drawer.”
She looked at me curiously before doing as I asked. She turned her chair slowly, looking at the drawer and then back up at me. I laughed at how timid she was, as if something inside was going to get her. She was so beautiful, and the backdrop of the ocean just made everything ten times better. She slowly pulled the drawer out and stared down at a small box inside. I could see her curiosity swirling around as she reached down and pulled the box out. She turned back and set it in front of her on the desk, moving it around but not opening it. I shook my head and crossed my arms, looking at her with humor on my face. She smiled big and popped open the lid, revealing a very large, round, sparkling diamond ring. Immediately, her hands flew up to her mouth, and she shook her head in shock.
I walked over to her and bent down in front of her, taking her hands in mine. She turned toward me and smiled, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. This was it, the big moment that would determine all of my future happiness in this world. I loved this girl so much, and I knew without a doubt that this was the right move.
“Josie,” I said, looking up at her. “From the first moment that I met you, you stoked a fire in my soul. It was a fire that made me the happiest man on the planet. You pushed me to do things, like take my career seriously, follow my dreams, and do what was best for me. Now, I am helping others who, like you, were falsely accused of crimes that landed them in jail, their lives put on hold because no one would listen to them. I have found my niche in life where I can be the lawyer my parents always wanted and actually make a difference in this world. I owe every part of that to you. I have been down the road where I almost lost you. I have watched you slipping from my hands, and it was more devastating than anything I had ever been through before. You are the love of my life. I cannot imagine going a day without seeing that beautiful smile, watching that stubborn tick when you don’t get your way, and feeling my arms around you as we sleep at night. I want every part of you. I want to love and cherish you for the rest of our very long lives. You are the one for me.”
I cleared my throat and pulled the ring from the box, holding it up in front of her. The sun glistened off the diamond, casting moving shadows throughout the entire room. She looked around and laughed, with the wonder of a child glistening in her beautiful eyes. I rubbed a tear from her cheek and took a deep breath, ready to make everything finally come together.
“I am satisfied with my career, I am satisfied with my person, and I am satisfied with the direction in which our lives are going,” I said. “Now, it’s time for me to be satisfied at home, too. Josie, will you please make me the luckiest man in the world and marry me?”
My hands were shaking as I held the ring in front of her. It was like time had stopped, and my heart was beating out of my chest. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to live the rest of my life with this woman in my arms. Anderson asked if I thought it was too soon, but I knew it wasn’t soon enough. We may have only been together for a little over four months, but we shared a soul that had been together for centuries. There wasn’t a moment in my life that I didn’t think about her and our future. Everything I did on a daily basis was for this woman, and everything she did was for me. We were an amazing team, the best of friends, and incredible lovers.
“Yes,” she said finally, shaking her head up and down and laughing through her tears. “Of course, I will marry you. You are my world.”
I smiled and slid the ring onto her finger. She held her hand out in front of her and shook her head, watching the sun catch the curves and dips in the stone. She put her hand down and stood up, pulling me to my feet. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her waist, picking her up in the air and hugging her tightly. She leaned her face back and pressed her lips against mine, giving me a long, passionate kiss. I set her back down on the floor, and we turned toward the window, watching the waves crash jubilantly against the shore. She shook her head, leaned it against my shoulder, and sighed.
“What is it, baby?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “I’m just so incredibly happy, and for the first time in a very long time, there is absolutely nothing wrong. My life is perfect.”
“You are perfect,” I replied.
“Far from it,” she said, laughing.
“You are to me,” I said, turning toward her and looking her in the eyes. “We are perfect for each other.”
“We always have been,” she replied. “For centuries.”
“I love you,” I said, leaning down and kissing her lips.
She looked up at me and smiled, folding her arms over my shoulders.
“And I love you, Blaine,” she replied. “And I will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.”
Book 5
Claimed
Blurb
Prince Milos Dobrimil, the royal playboy lives a life of excess and luxury, constantly fulfilling his sexual desires during his escapades into the city. When his father falls ill, eventually dying, Milos is left with his last wishes, to see Milos married and ruling the Kingdom with wealth and pride.
This request, however, comes as an ultimatum, and Milos is left scrambling to try to save the royal line and still keep his freedom. Thinking he has the ultimate solution, he makes an indecent proposal to a sassy and free-spirited stripper who just may turn his world inside out.
With love, betrayal, sex, and power, this book will take you for a ride through a modern-day adult fairy tale. As you explore the deeply hidden desires of a girl from the slums and the inner struggle of a boy from another world, the truth will reveal itself in ways that will tantalize your fantastical mind while pulling at your lustful heart.
1
Adriana
The smell of stale cigarettes and cheap perfume have been permanently stained into my nostrils from working at the club for so long. The client section of the Caspian Cabaret was built for royalty with its large stone archway, red velvet carpets, and stainless-steel counters, but all I ever saw was the shoddy backroom and the glaring red lights pointed at the stage. It was almost time for me to head out there, and I felt jittery. I always did before my first dance of the night.
I looked down at the gold bodysuit I was struggling to get my ass into. Now I understood why
Reg, the owner, always gave me nasty looks when I shoved anything fried into my mouth. I swear, if he had it his way, his girls would be pumped with silicone and live off two carrot sticks and a glass of water a day.
Every time I start thinking about how much I hate my job, I remind myself that it’s better than the alternative. Being stranded in Prague with no money and no one to call was terrifying to me, regardless of how many days I’d spent backpacking across Europe. Having money in your pocket was always reassuring.
I had spent years saving up for this trip, hiding my savings from my alcoholic mother and counting down the days until I could jet off, living the free life as a nomad with a savings account. I didn’t realize how meager of a savings account I had until I ended up stranded in Prague with just my backpack and a smile. Smiles don’t go very far under the unforgiving city lights.
Shaken from my thoughts, I watched as Sveta bounced into the room, happy and carefree as ever. This girl was top notch, and she did not give a damn about anyone. Her tight curves, huge tits, and petite stature made her the focus of almost every man in the audience. She played that charm to her advantage, but on the inside, she was really a stone-cold bitch, which of course was why I loved her.
Sveta leaned down and kissed my cheek. Her strong perfume wafted through the room. She always made me feel better, especially knowing that this was not the job I ever wanted to have. She plopped two shot glasses down and a bottle of vodka, smiling as she filled up our nightly dose of liquid courage. I only ever took two shots, but it was just the right amount to get me to drop the nerves and move my hips.
