** Special Note ** This story will be edited at a later date to fit my current writing style, however, I am leaving this first very rough draft up until then. Highest Ranking -- # 1 in General Fiction - Feb 2015 to April 2015 Twenty-two year old Lea Mason didn't mind living a boring life far from the limelight that her parents enjoyed. In fact, she thrived in the solitude and mundane routines that she surrounded herself with. Carter Stephens, crime boss extraordinaire, enjoyed dishing out pain and punishment to those that dared to cross him. His only rules for life were simple: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, know their every weakness and use that weakness to destroy them, never leave a witness alive, and never, under absolutely no circumstance, feel. **All rights reserved. No part of 'A Cartel Affair' may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.** **Please note - All Photos and Media content are owned by their respective photographers and/or artist.

"You'll be fine?" I shrieked. "You just got freaking stabbed! You're letting out more blood than a girl on her period! You are not going to be fine! I have to call the police. No wait, I have to call an ambulance! Oh my God, why didn't I think of that before? Stupid, Genevi-" "Stop talking!" he growled, turning away. I wrung my hands together in panic, trying to calm myself down. "I can take care of this, kitten. Leave me alone. It's just a small wound. Not like I haven't been stabbed before." he muttered the last part. "What?!" "Leave." he growled. I stared at him, unable to close my mouth. I had never seen someone get stabbed before. Heck, I had never seen someone get into a fight before. Ever. The only violence I had experienced was in movies. It was unfortunate for me that I found out how I would react in a danger situation like this. And by react, I mean completely flip the hell out. *LANGUAGE WARNING*

18 year old Florence Remy has three things that mean the world to her: Twizzlers, her best friends Ade and Clancy, and her parents' coffee shop the Espresso House in downtown Brooklyn, New York. As a small business amongst huge corporations, Florence and her parents struggle to make ends meet. However, they remain optimistic and happy. The coffee shop may not bring in much, but it's enough to keep them on their feet. But what happens when a group of dangerous Brooklyn mobsters force Florence's parents into giving them co-ownership of the shop? Crime boss and leader Wolfe Sterling takes a great interest in the tunnels that lead past the Espresso House cellar. Dirty business is what he's best at and dragging people into his dangerous (and illegal) activities are no bother. But things go sideways when he also takes a strange interest in Florence. And it really doesn't help that he's hotter than freshly brewed coffee...