A Vanity Fair writer does what it takes to get the biggest scoop! Written for Cosmopolitan.com's 50 Shades of Grey contest! ~My heart slowed down when we got to his high-rise. I didn't ask questions. I didn't wonder why we were here and not my apartment. Maybe because they'd be stupid questions. Maybe the answer was obvious but my eyes were too muddled to see. But I didn't care. I welcomed the vast black, marble floor of his apartment; I welcomed the hearth where a picture frame of his family sat upon the mantle; I welcomed the plush, dark sofa that accepted my frail, shaking body as I sank into it. I welcomed the floor to ceiling uninterrupted window view, where on a cold, dark, night like this one, the universe graced me with a blanket of twinkling stars and a moon so pure, so rich, so beaming with tranquil light, the soft rays ebbed with a certain serenity only dreams could conjure. "Here," Christian said and handed me an icy can of carbonated lemonade. "I don't want it," I said, monotone. He pushed my hand away. "It'll take the edge off. Just drink." I gave in. I didn't want to fight any more tonight. I took one sip, then two, then three. On the third, I brought the fluffy, grey blanket over my head when I burst out crying. I sniffed, trying to contain myself. Christian pulled the blanket back, but I covered my face with the open palms of my hand. He chuckled lowly. "Don't hide." "I'm sorry," I wailed, tears rushed out like a waterfall. "I'm trying to stop." "Don't. Let it out." "Ugh," I scoffed. "Don't look at me." I turned my head to avoid his gaze. "Why?" "I must look like a rodent, right now." He cackled bubbly. "You look beautiful." He placed a finger underneath my chin and turned my face to face him. "Look at that-" he pushed away strands of hair that stuck to my cheek with my tears as adhesive. His fingers delicately stroking my jawline, the sensation so calming I closed my eyes- "Beautiful."~ Enter if you dare...

Blessed-or cursed-with a connection to the souls of others, Sloan Jordan can see the best in people... and the worst. For twenty-seven years, she's kept her ability a secret, but eleven young women have been murdered in the mountains of North Carolina, and Sloan may be the only hope of finding their killer. She has just agreed to help Detective Nathan McNamara with the case, when a stranger-who is as alluring as he is terrifying-shows up at her doorstep with a dark past and another puzzling mystery: she can't see his soul at all. Now Sloan is on the hunt for a deadly psychopath with two irresistible men. One of them would die for her, and the other would kill to keep her safe. **THE SOUL SUMMONER is in stores now.

"Whatever I do or say next, please don't hate me," I plead in a whisper, and our lips rub. I don't allow him to answer; I claim his lips in a kiss. They're a match made in hell: Reid Brice is the leader of a notorious gang called the Grim Reapers, and Scarlett Hades is the daughter of the lord of the underworld. Scarlett convinces her father, Hades, to let her live on Earth for a year, as she is bored in Hell. She meets Reid on a weekend at the beach, but this is no ordinary, peaceful, sunny day: Reid and his gang are trying to kidnap a young girl. Scarlett comes to the rescue, and thus begins her entanglement with the Grim Reapers. Reid pursues Scarlett, drawn by her bravado and her unusual nonchalance in the face of blood and deadly threats. He thinks this is the girl he has been looking for. Will he still think the same when she reveals her true form to him? Or will he see her as nothing but a monster? Hades' Daughter presents Greek mythology in a way you probably haven't seen before. How will a young-adult goddess survive in the modern human world? Grab a copy now on Amazon to find out! *Published in 3 formats on Amazon and made into a game on Chapters - Interactive Stories (available on iOS and Android)* BOOK 1: Hades' Daughter BOOK 2: War of Fate Find me on Twitter and Instagram: @cc_thewriter Facebook Author Page: Charlotte Carol (link on my profile) Goodreads: Charlotte Carol (link on my profile) Best Ranks: #2 Vampire (I can't believe it!!!) #1 Paranormal (OMG!! Argh! I can't believe it!) Enjoy!