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.

When Ayanna is forced into a job working for her parents' trusted college friend, she expects structure-not the quiet pull of a man who sees her more clearly than anyone ever has. Langston, a forty-three-year-old record label owner and divorcé, lives by rules that don't allow desire, especially not for his employee or the daughter of people he respects. As long hours and industry chaos draw them closer, attraction turns into something dangerous neither of them is willing to name. With her parents tightening their grip and her dreams of an artistic life slipping further away, Ayanna must choose between approval and authenticity. For Langston, loving her could cost him his reputation, his principles, and the one line he's sworn never to cross.

Sanaa Wright is Miami's best HR fixer. When a company is falling apart, she's the one businesses call to clean up the mess and she delivers results in four months or less. So when one of her long-term clients asks her to rebrand his struggling lounge, she takes the job without hesitation. She just doesn't expect to walk in on day one and leave with a broken ankle-courtesy of one of his employees. Zaire Collins. Known across Miami as the protection, Zaire owns one of the top security firms in Florida, trusted to guard nightclubs, bars, and high-profile events. Control is what he does best. But the day he accidentally breaks Sanaa Wright's ankle changes everything. Determined to make it right, Zaire goes out of his way to take care of her... even if that means giving Sanaa more access to him than anyone else has ever had. And the closer they get, the harder it becomes to keep things strictly professional.

"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

𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇- He told her one thing "you ain't see shit if you wanna keep that pretty face connected to your body." She was never supposed to cross paths with Giomani "Gio" Blackwood, suit-wearing, gun-toting underboss of New York's most feared family. But one wrong night put her in his world, and Gio don't believe in coincidences. Now she's tied to the man the streets call a monster. And the craziest part? The more she learns about him, the harder it gets to hate him. Cold. Calculated. Fine as hell. Gio runs everything - and when his father steps down, he's coming for the throne. But love and loyalty don't mix in the mafia. And in Gio's world, you either with him... or you against him. Ain't no in-between. 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 & 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃!

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?

book #3

"𝖨'𝗆 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗋𝗒𝗇𝖺 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽, 𝖠𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗌. 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖺 𝖽𝗈 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗈." (Shooting Stars, Book 1)

"Beautiful things don't ask for attention." In a world that thrives on conformity, August is an anomaly. Raised in a secretive overbearing family, she was chosen to leave its hidden grounds-not for freedom, but for duty. Sent to college to become the strategic mind for her generation behind the family's growing empire, she tries to move through the world like a ghost, draped in gothic shadows with secrets too heavy to share but her style is just too much to go unnoticed by judging eyes unscathed. Then she meets Kason through his older brother. A rising rapper with a reckless charm and a hunger for something real, dealing with battles of his own, he's instantly drawn to August's eerie demeanor and the quiet storm that lingers behind her dark mysterious eyes. She's nothing like the women he's used to-unbothered by trends, and untouched by the need for validation. The more she resists, the deeper he falls, his infatuation turning into an obsession he can't shake. One he cant let go of. As their worlds collide, the slow burn of their connection threatens to ignite everything August has been taught to suppress. With her past closing in and expectations pressing down, she must decide if she's willing to defy everything she's ever known for the chance at something dangerously real. In a society that demands she fit a mold, August stands in defiance. Unfortunately, love has a way of making even the strongest question their silence. STARTED; February 22nd , 2025 PUBLISHED; MARCH 18th, 2025 FINISHED; MAY 27th, 2025