State of Affairs ⚖︎ "You missed a talking point on page four, Governor," I said, sliding the briefing file across his heavy mahogany desk. Tennyson didn't look at the file. His dark eyes stayed locked on my mouth, completely devoid of the golden-man charm he'd just fed to a crowd of thousands. "Lock the door, Milan," he murmured, his voice low and exhausted. "You have a press briefing in ten minutes, sir. And your wife is waiting in the lobby." He stepped around the desk, invading my space until the scent of cedar and expensive bourbon swallowed me whole. His hand brushed my waist, his thumb pressing possessively against my hip. "I don't care," he breathed, his facade finally shattering. "Lock the damn door." 🏛️ To the world, 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 is untouchable. He is the state's golden man, a devoted husband, and a man with a spotless reputation. Everyone worships the ground he walks on. Everyone except his executive assistant, 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐚. Milan has a strict two-year plan: survive the Governor's temper, secure her recommendation letter, and catch a one-way flight to Washington, D.C. Her job description: hand him his black coffee, fix his crooked ties, and treat the most powerful man in the state like a normal human being. But her immunity is exactly what breaks him. Behind the heavy oak doors of his office, Tennyson sheds his perfect mask. He is cynical, ruthless, and spiraling into a dark, desperate obsession with the only woman who doesn't want anything from him. He becomes addicted to her warmth and slowly to her. As late nights at the office blur into a secret arrangement, Milan thinks she has the situation under control. But she doesn't know that Tennyson's public life is a PR lie. She doesn't know that the Governor has absolutely no intention of letting her go. 'Cause what the Governor needs, the Governor gets.

The Second Book of The Under Series {First Book; Under Oath} "Then show me. Strip." Danielle Carter wasn't innocent, nor was she trying to be. Orphaned too late in life to be chosen, and too young to survive on her own, she drifted through the foster system until she aged out at eighteen. Life didn't offer her a safety net, so she made one herself. Chicago taught her quickly how to survive-how to move fast and how to use her body to keep food on the table and a roof over her head. She became a stripper because she had to. And for a while, it worked. By twenty-three, Danielle had already lived a life most people would rather not imagine. Fast money. Faster nights. But, Eventually, she realized the truth-what paid well also buried girls young. So she ran. New York was supposed to be her reset. A clean start. A chance at normalcy. A real W-2 job. But how do you enter "normal society" when your resume is empty and your only experience is stripping? Doors stayed closed. Weeks passed. Money thinned. Then, finally, one door opened. Roman Volkov. Cold. Distant. A Russian self-made billionaire whose global finance empire moves money and assets across borders-clean on paper, dirty beneath the surface. His reputation keeps people careful. His assistants never last. Until Danielle. She's used to men like him. Powerful. Dangerous. Accustomed to being obeyed. When no one else can handle his tone, his demands, his presence-she can. And Roman notices. What begins as just a job turns into something charged. Long nights. Lingering tension. Hunger. Bianca tells herself she's survived worse. Escaped worse. But Roman Volkov is a different kind of danger. Desire doesn't stay contained forever. As boundaries blur and attraction darkens, Bianca finds herself pulled into a world where ambition and temptation collide-and where walking away may cost more than she's willing to lose.

𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝 is focused on one thing: getting through her senior year and leaving her neighborhood behind. At 17, she's smart, guarded, and determined not to get caught up in the chaos around her. Love, drama, and trouble? She doesn't have time for any of it. Then Oscar 'Spooky' Diaz comes back. Fresh out of jail, 𝐎𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐳 better known as Spooky is trying to move differently this time. At 22, his name carries weight in the streets, and most people know better than to cross him. But when he keeps running into Imani Shepherd, things get complicated. They don't really have history... just years of knowing of each other, passing by in the same neighborhood, living completely different lives. Imani is everything Spooky isn't focused, careful, and determined to escape the life he's been stuck in. Spooky is everything Imani knows she should stay away from dangerous, unpredictable, and tied to a world she promised herself she'd never fall into. But sometimes the strongest connections come from the most unlikely places. Late-night conversations turn into stolen moments. Curiosity turns into something deeper. And before either of them realizes it, the line between right and wrong, safe and risky, starts to blur. Because when two opposites collide, someone always ends up having to surrender.

An impossible debt. A dangerous offer. A love that could ruin or redeem them. For her entire life, Amara Johnson has lived in a bubble. Sheltered and coddled by her loving but average family, her world is small, safe, and predictable. That all shatters when she follows her brother to Tokyo for a fresh start. But her brother's secret gambling habit plunges them into a nightmare. He didn't just borrow money-he borrowed from Kenzo Sato, the most feared and powerful Oyabun of the Yakuza in Japan. Now, to protect her brother's life, Amara must leave her quiet job at the bank and work off his massive debt in Kenzo's front: an exclusive, members-only cafe in the heart of Shinjuku. She's out of place, naive, and terrified. And she's utterly captivating to him. Kenzo Sato is a vision of controlled chaos-sharp suits over intricate tattoos, a piercing gaze that sees everything, and a billionaire empire built on power and respect. He is everything her sheltered life taught her to fear. To Amara, he's utterly terrifying. To Kenzo, she's an exotic breath of fresh air-a innocence he never knew he craved. He makes her a new offer: become his exclusively. His companion. His obsession. In return, her brother's debt vanishes and she will want for nothing. It's a gilded cage that promises to lift her from poverty and change her life forever. Caught between fear and a fierce, unexpected attraction, Amara must navigate a world of danger, luxury, and dark desire. Can her sheltered heart survive the ruthless world of the Yakuza? Or will the man who owns her debt also claim her heart?

A dancer at the hottest strip club in the city catches the attention of a Yakuza boss.

Elara Jones finds solace in silence and sugar. A shy, curvy baker with a softly spoken heart, her world is small and predictable: a quiet office job and a fledgling home bakery where she pours her soul into every treat. She is innocence embodied, and she's content with her simple, invisible life. Kaelan Vance is a king in a world of shadows. A mafia tycoon with a empire of legitimate companies and illegitimate dealings, he commands with a look and takes what he wants. He is a man forged in ruthlessness, his heart untouched... until a glimpse of Elara shatters his control. He isn't just drawn to her beauty; he's captivated by her quiet strength, the peace she radiates, the innocence that stands in stark contrast to his own stained soul. What begins as a fascination quickly spirals into a dark, all-consuming obsession. He must possess her, not just her body, but her heart, her smiles, her very soul. For Elara, Kaelan is a storm she never saw coming. His attention is terrifying yet intoxicating, a whirlwind of danger and desire. He showers her with a devotion that feels like love but looks like madness. He will burn the world to keep her safe and break anyone who dares to look her way. This is a story of two hearts colliding: one learning to love, the other learning to let go. One is a quiet melody, the other a destructive symphony. Can a love built on obsession ever become a sanctuary, or is it just the most beautiful prison of all?

I hear Timothy huff. "Come back to the house voluntarily and I'll go easy on you for your punishment." He sounds bored. I guess he's not enjoying running after me anymore. Still I ignore him and continue to walk forward. My walk is more like a drunken wobble now. Everything hurts. I get a few feet further before he pulls me back by my hair. "Stop being stubborn." It feels like he's trying to pull my hair from my scalp. I scream and scratch at his hands. "Let me go!" "You like it when I chase after you. Huh, Rose." He's breathing hard. Oh my god. This is really how I'm going to die. He pushes me onto the ground then grabs my leg. I grab and claw at the ground as he starts to drag me back towards the house. Stones, roots and dirt rub against my body scratching me. I can't continue to be dragged like this. We are at least three miles away from his house. "Let me up, I can walk!" I can barely recognize my own voice. It's so raw. He continues to drag me for a little while longer before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. My body hangs from his limp. When we arrive at the house he takes me straight to his bedroom. He tosses me on the bed like I'm a pillow making my head bang against the headboard. I grab my head and cover my face. "Strip." He breaks the silence. This is darker than Mia.

He's a boxer. Non-verbal. Silent but powerful. She's a woman of distrust. Introverted. Weary and nervous. Terrible circumstances brought them together. That same miserable occurrence joined them together for eternity. In holy matrimony of course. This is an ORIGINAL NUNU novel. A/N: SLOW BURN ROMANCE T/W: Mentions terms like MUTE, and MUTISM.

Rule #1: Date within your circle. Rule #2: Uphold the family image. Rule #3: Never, ever get distracted. Carter Vanderbilt has followed the rules his entire life. As the golden boy of the conservative elite, his path was set: marry a suitable girl, run the family empire, and maintain the status quo. His current fling, Ashley, is the perfect "pick me" placeholder-until Meredith Bridges walks in. Meredith is kindness and light, a beautiful black woman who represents everything his world is not. And Carter can't look away. His fascination quickly twists into a dangerous obsession, making him question every belief he's ever held. Ashley isn't about to let some "sweetheart" steal her trophy. She's played the game too long to lose now. Watch as a man's entire world unravels for an obsession that was never part of the plan. He was taught to build walls. She's the reason they'll crumble.