She sold her time for money; until desire demanded her heart. Broke and desperate, twenty-two year old Sage, takes a job that pays thousands for her time and beauty-no strings attached. But when she meets Cortez Banks, a powerful man with tattoos, secrets, and temptation written all over him, rules shatter. He's off-limits. He's dangerous. And falling for him could cost her everything. Sage swore she wouldn't break the rules. Cortez swore he didn't need love. But rules were made to be broken. What begins as desire spirals into something far more dangerous. When secrets unravel; secrets that tie Cortez to her family, to her best friend, to a world of blood and betrayal-Sage will learn the truth: Luxury isn't free. And love might cost her 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

"Damn. Hasn't even been that long and you got a whole rock on your finger now, huh?" "...What are you doing here?" She unthinkingly rubbed her swollen belly, the tight knots forming in her stomach at the same time. "What you mean? I came for the art." His tone was sarcastic as he gestured at the paintings on the walls. She watched his eyes drift down her body, before he tightly clenched his jaw. "But I see I have more than one thing to congratulate you on." He said, bitterly. • • • • • • 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛? ❤️‍🩹👻 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟸 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 (𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚕)

"So you just wanna fuck me forever, and that's it, huh?" "I ain't say-" He sucked his teeth. "We already talked about this shit, Z." "Nah." She chuckled dryly. "You just keep shutting me out." "Why you doin' this to me, Ma?" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hm? Why you tryna fuck everything up?" • • • • • • 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚗-𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌, 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 💌👻 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

She crosses paths with a man whose charm feels effortless and whose presence feels safe... until the shadows around him start to move. She falls for him quick unaware that he's carrying a life she's never seen - a life stitched together with danger, loyalty, and secrets heavy enough to break anyone who gets too close. As their worlds intertwine, the truth begins to surface in pieces, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about love, trust, and herself. Their connection is real, undeniable even, but the double life he lives threatens to pull them under. In a story where loyalty twists, danger breathes, and love refuses to let go, one question lingers above all: Will the secrets he hides be the thing that destroys them... or the fire that binds them tighter than they ever imagined?

Solei came to college to get her degree, not lose herself in a man she couldn't have. Books, grades, and minding her business - that was the plan. Until she started slipping in her hardest class and ended up needing extra help from one person she should've stayed far away from. Basim Hart is everything she should avoid - intelligent, composed, and carrying an energy that makes people pay attention without him saying a word. One tutoring session turns into something neither of them can ignore, and suddenly Solei is caught between what's right and what feels too real to walk away from. But there's more to Professor Hart than the campus knows... and Solei starts to feel it long before she understands it. His past. His power. His secrets. All of it shadows the connection growing between them. As lines blur and temptation rises, Solei realizes she might be stepping into something deeper than a forbidden love and lesson - something that could change everything she thought she knew about him... and herself. A quiet girl. A complicated man. A love neither one of them saw coming. Secrets, tension, and danger - but you won't know how deep it goes until you turn the page. 🥇In literature 1/1/26 🥈 In Double Life 12/30/25 🥉Urban Novel 12/30/25

❝ A journey with Kasiani as she finds harmony, peace, and safety in the arms of the man who once led her life recklessly, and together, they rebuild a better future. ❞ Published: Jul 29th, 2025 Finished: May 9, 2026 Rankings🏅: 🥇 in Freaky 🥇 in newyorklovestory 🥇 in blackcomedy 🥈 in daveeast 🥈 in Ganglove 🥉 in Urban #4 in Toxiclove #4 in Hoodlove

"I told you about looking down when you being talked to mama." Kaiser spoke more softly than before. In the small time he been around Serenity, he noticed how shy she was. She was so avoidant but alluring. He was interested in her. Seeing how well she was with the kids was just a plus. "Why?" She sighed in frustration before signing. She knew if she started talking she would make a fool of herself. "Why what?" He signed back. "Why do you care? You don't know me." "Not everyone has it out for you. I just wanna know you," Kaiser frowned. He didn't understand why she was so isolated but he wanted to know. She was worth knowing.

Asiyah is an interviewer who shines a light on the streets, but her latest subject-a rising rapper-brings more than just fame. As she navigates the complexities of her family's dark secrets, faces her father's disapproval, and becomes entangled in a dangerous romance, Asiyah must decide if chasing her dreams is worth the risk of losing everything. Cover by: @wordsbykay

Prosper Klarity Athens was supposed to say I do to the man she loved-until the doors of her wedding burst open and a stranger with a devil's smile claimed her as his wife. Kapone Symeer St. James doesn't ask. He takes. And what he takes has already been promised to him in blood. Bound by a vow made before Prosper ever took her first breath, she's forced into a marriage she never agreed to with a man who rules California's streets by fear alone. Kapone is power, control, and calculated violence-everything Prosper swore she'd never bow to. But when lies, betrayal, and obsession start bleeding from inside her own family, Prosper is forced to confront the truth: The real danger isn't the man who claimed her... It's the ones who want to destroy what she's becoming. In a world where love is lethal, loyalty is bought in blood, and obsession is the purest form of devotion-Prosper must decide if she'll keep running from the darkness... Or sit beside it on the throne.

"Want It Back In Blood, And Blood, I'm Gonna Get, And Still, I Pray For Love Instead Of Common Sense." - Mariah The Scientist.