Barely Engaged (ONC 2019)
- Reads 325
- Votes 45
- Parts 13
Complete Fri, Mar 8, 20191h 57m
Round 3 Long List for the Open Novella Contest
Party planning doesn't have to be personal. If anyone knows that, it's Samantha Hall. She's been successful in the Event Planning business without ever getting emotionally involved. It's how she likes it. With no one else to take care of a job, Samantha is forced to face the one thing she's went out of her way to avoid the most. Love.
A promotion isn't too far out of reach, and apparently neither is rekindled relationships. What happens when there's a lot more riding on a new client than just a paycheck?
Formerly known as: The Engagement
_________________________________
Content Warning: Sexual situations, Profanity, Implicit content (implied actions)
MA15+
Open Novella Contest 2019: Romance Prompt #3: Engagement Party
All Rights Reserved
#2
partyplanning
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Mars Needs Women
Being a 'difficult woman', Oklahoma farm-gal Mavis wasn't having much luck with the local dating pool. Her Pa signed her up to emigrate to newly terraformed Mars, because 'Mars needs women'. Maybe there she could find a good man to marry. But Mavis had no intention of getting hitched, despite what the legal contract said. Walt, the son of successful Mars merchants, had no intention of going through with a forced arranged marriage. Finding a kindred spirit in Mavis, they chose their own path. A quirky sci-fi romance with a frontier vibe. **** Open Novella Contest Short List and Honorable Mention **** **** Open Novella Contest Round Two Ambassador Pick **** **** Novella Grand Winner - 2025 NanoWatt Awards ****Complete
Where there's a Will, there's a Tiara | Complete (ONC 2021 Longlister)
When her parents die in an accident, 27-year-old party girl, Adelaide Becker, sets her sights on inheriting the family fortune. But when the will is read, she is not surprised to find her parents are capable of ruining her happiness even from beyond the grave. If she hopes to inherit the family estate, she has to follow one not so inviting rule: move to the English countryside and live with a long forgotten grandmother. For a year. Begrudgingly, she packs her things and leaves the sandy shores of Greece for the small, ramshackle house her mother grew up in. Between the drafty room, the terrible food, and the young carpenter who seems more intent on sweeping her off her feet than fixing the roof, Adelaide is convinced her parents set the whole thing up just to punish her for indiscretions. She's determined to beat them at their own game and survive the year, but when her grandmother hands her a ring and a letter and declares her engaged, Adelaide might finally snap. *** ONC 2021 entry for prompt # 74. CW: Death of parent.Complete
Loving Parker
*Completed* *Unedited* *10 chapters available for read* [This is a spin-off of 'A Sacrifice To Remember' but can be read as a stand alone] **** When life gives you lemons, you make lemonades. But, what happens when life gives you a man like Parker? You love him still. Mia Watson, a hopeless romantic who believed in the concept of true love and happy endings, just as her best friend found hers. She holds on to the thought that someday her perfect man will come and sweep her off her feet, or so she thought. Little did she know that Adrian Parker, who is best friends with her best friend's husband will waltz into her life and be the complete opposite of her ideal Prince Charming and the one she can't resist. Focused only on the world of business Adrian Parker doesn't have the luxury of being with a woman. 'One night stands' had always been the perfect getaway for him, that way there were no strings attached. He is every woman's dream and he can choose to have any woman he wants without even flinching. Globally known as Australia's most eligible bachelor and business tycoon, he's the most sort after man but he has lost faith in love. He was yet to meet a woman on the planet who could change that, but then fate brought him back home to visit his best friend who's been injured. There wasn't a force powerful enough to stop him from meeting Mia. Can she turn the not so charming Prince Charming around? Or will their encounter be a passing phase? Started: March 2019 Completed: October 11 2019 🏆 3rd place winner in Romance 🥉- World Of Champions 4! December 2019! 🏆 2nd place winner in Romance🥈 - The Spring Awards! April 2020! Copyright ©️ 2019 R. A. Michael (Kintenara) #1 in adultromance (19.7.2020) #1 in businesstycoon (8.8.2020) #14 in lovestories (8.8.2020) ...Complete
Our Secret To Keep.
A delayed flight. A stranger at a hotel bar. A one night stand. Stranded in New York for an extra night than planned due to a delayed flight, I needed to find a way to keep myself occupied, and I soon found that something. It was easy enough when the handsome stranger introduced himself to me as Kade. It has been a while since I have had a hot one-night stand, and he reminds me how fun it can be. There are no questions, expectations or reasons to see one another again. What I don't expect is our night together to come around and bite me in the ass. When I arrive at a family dinner with my parents and two older sisters to celebrate my return home to Scotland, he is sitting right there with them. Not only is he my father's new business partner, but he is my sister's blind date set up by my parents. We pretend to be strangers because things would become complicated if we didn't. No one ever needs to know about what happened between us. My dad would freak out if he found out about us because he is overly protective of me as the youngest, and with the age gap between Kade and me, my father wouldn't approve. My relationship with my older sister is already strained; I don't need to make things worse between us. Even though he doesn't seem interested in her and he tries his best to show that it could still make all hell break lose. My sister hates losing. She always gets what she wants. I should stay away from him, but it is easier said than done with the tension and chemistry between us, and we struggle to fight against it. No matter what happens, it needs to be our secret to keep.
The Wedding Planner (Open Novella Contest)
As a wedding planner, Rachel has seen it all. From botched wedding dresses to caterers who couldn't even make a simple pot of coffee. Watching the love, the compassion, the devotion between each and every couple, the utter admiration between them... it made her sick. Money was her motivator and Rachel refused to change her ways. But when a client approaches her, with the most curious request, she couldn't bring herself to say no. Following her client through the start of his journey, to the end, something began to stir deep within her heart... Would this curious client be able to melt the ice within her heart?Complete
The Lease Up
Rescued from a blind date from hell, a career woman's one night stand with her would be savior has unforeseen consequences. **** Up and coming New York apartment manager, Vanessa Torres' life is going perfectly according to her five year plan. Well, everything except in the love department, but that will come later. On cloud nine from her recent promotion, she agrees to go on a blind date arranged by her friend. Little does she know her squeaky clean life is about to turn upside down, following a one night stand with a handsome stranger, who saves her from the disastrous set-up. Reputable, lease up closer, Gabriel Tate, loves to live life by the game of chance, with no long term plans in mind. Blessed with Adonis-like looks and a charming personality he's used to getting what he wants when he wants until one flip of a coin changes his life forever. Their lives become entangled in a heated competition to fulfill rental contracts for their respective employers, not to mention running in the same social circles within the apartment industry. They soon realize change and compromise are necessary not only within their careers but also life and neither expected to find love during the chaotic and dysfunctional rivalry. Open Novella Contest 2023 Prompts: #5 Flip a coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare? #25 "If he smiled at you, he'll break your heart. If she winked at you, she'll rip you apart. #39 On a blind date with a complete mismatch, you're increasingly uncomfortable , but too polite to leave. Then an attractive stranger comes over and gives you an out. © 2023 LJRaeComplete
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS.
One prom night was all it took: Samantha Jessica Swamps had a crush on her best friend since forever but couldn't tell him for the fear of destroying their friendship. Everything changed on the night of their highschool prom when he proposed to be her friend with benefits. Sam learned the hard way that not all things lasted forever when Trevor proposed to his high school girlfriend, Judith Evergreen. Seven years later, they meet again. Only that Judith was now pregnant and Trevor was still her husband. One tumble in the elevator, then things start to go downhill and old feelings began to rise to the surface. Would Sam ever get her happy ending, or was Trevor never meant to be hers? _________________________________________ Comments from readers: @Aiwonnie: 'You sure did deliver a short smut story and I love it! Is it possible. . . are you making it a full book?' @qxeen-nunyabusiness: 'Yo! You can't leave me hanging like that.' @GrethanMendes18: 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. TREVOR IS MY CHRUSHHHHHHHHHHHHH.' ________________________________________ This book is part of my anthology book of smut: 'FIFTY SHADES OF EROTICA'. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a long book and would remain a short story, but it will be completed for those who wanted to know what happened in the end. Warning: There would be mature content. You have been warned.Complete
Married to the Billionaire Uncle
[Arranged Marriage, Age Gap, Slow-Burn Sweet Romance] A refined beauty from a scholarly family x a noble, fatherly man A ten-billionaire manga artist x a London aristocrat and chairman of the business council Celeste Arden had known since childhood that she was engaged to someone from London's Quinn family, but she had never met her fiancé. Later, by a twist of fate, she ended up living in the Quinn family home and met her friend's brother. Gabriel carried himself with grace and dignity, and his handsome features were striking. As a marriage prospect, he far exceeded the baseline of acceptability. On Halloween, the Quinn family came to propose marriage. However, it was not Gabriel who arrived-it was his austere and reserved uncle. "Uncle, why isn't Gabriel here?" "Why would he be here?" "Well, you're all here to propose on his behalf. Why hasn't he shown up in person?" The man's dark eyes fixed on her, staring for a moment before he parted his lips and spoke each word clearly: "I'm the one proposing." Theo Quinn's words, carried by the evening breeze, slipped into her ears. She stood frozen for a full five seconds. "But my engagement with the Quinn family was to..." "It's always been with me."
She said Yes!
"Roses are red , violets are blue ...only if love was true .. !" These are the words she will often write down in her diary pages after pages. During her high school days when she found out that her boyfriend Todd Davis was only with her because of the bet that he made with his friends, Emily suffered a terrible heartbreak and humiliation destroying her faith in love and happy endings. Her relationship status reads" Happily Single, for the rest of my life". When her mother unexpectedly had to retire from her business , Emily is forced to give up her job as a vet to help her older sisters to run their family business. Only a miracle could save them from the debts that the business has and when a business man approached them to help him plan the "Engagement Party of the Year" they could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Emily found herself caught up in the enchanted world of romance and happy endings. Will that make Emily change her mind about love? .................................xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx............................ This book was my first attempt at the OpenNovella contest and it made it through all the rounds . Though it was not a finalist on the long list finalist , I am so proud of what I have achieved. I believe those sort of competitions boosts up your potentials and makes you work to the best of your abilities or even more. Can't wait for another one 😊 Thank you OpenNovella team and most all Thank you for all the reads and comments xoComplete
Wild Hearts (AU!Dean Winchester x Reader)
Coming of age is hard enough without meeting the right guy at the wrong time. Yet, that's exactly what happens for the reader when she finally starts to settle into her new town. Then she meets a party crasher at a bonfire with a few more scars than her own emotional ones. ___________________________________ Warnings: UNDERAGE, age gap (reader is 16, Dean is almost 21), underage kiss with Dean, underage drinking, physical abuse by a parent (John), John is an asshole in this one, mentions of death, alcoholism, minor violence, injuries/blood/scars, angst, arguing, gaslighting, pining/jealousy, mature themes, language, slow burn, hurt/comfort, non-linear timeline, long distance relationship, infertility, couples' therapy, adoption, background pairings (Sam/Ruby & Sam/Jess - not at the same time, Benny/Cas, Bobby/Jody), kissing/cuddling, fluff A/N: Inspired by: If I Fix You by Abigail Johnson and Wild Hearts by Keith Urban. Also written for bingos on Tumblr. There is no posting schedule, expect extremely slow updates. I have writer's block and it's making even editing hard.Complete![Company Ink [PUBLISHED]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/241503085-256-k871908.jpg)
Company Ink [PUBLISHED]
"You're playing a very dangerous game, Cassie," Adrian says, staring at me with so much intensity that I take a step backward, my back hitting his office door. My breath hitches. "I like games," I admit in a whisper. "Because I always win." *** With a degree in Event Management, social butterfly Cassandra Carrington never expected to work at a boring old law firm. After being laid off from her job, Cassie reluctantly takes a position at Pearson & Associates, working as Adrian Cavallero's Personal Assistant. Adrian is charismatic, confident, and always gets what he wants. But when the Managing Partner's PA quits right before a big case, Adrian is forced to share Cassie with Blake Pearson. Blake is private, mysterious, and charming. He's also drop-dead gorgeous. With two demanding type-A personalities running her life, working at a law firm just got a little less boring. They say don't dip your pen into the company ink but those people never had two smoldering hot bosses. Join Cassie on her adventures as she struggles to juggle a Mr Grey and a Mr Darcy, all while trying to get her messy life together. 🖤 A sexy chicklit romance that will leave you laughing and swooning. 🖤Highest Ranking #1 in Love #1 in Women's Fiction #1 in Law Firm #1 in New Adult Romance #1 in Power Struggle #1 in Millionaire #2 in Romance #2 in CEO #2 in Humor #3 in Chick Lit #3 in Funny #3 in Love Triangle #3 in HotComplete
Cancelled || ONC 2025
Fame, fortune, and millions of followers can disappear as quickly as they come, especially in an era where getting ''cancelled'' is just one viral scandal away. Hollywood's former golden boy, Finnegan Braxton, knows this all too well. Once a beloved teenage heartthrob, he's now branded as a notorious player, arrogant, and a lying cheat. With his career hanging by a thread, his PR team scrambles to salvage his image. Their solution? A reality dating show where Finnegan must prove he's not the heart-breaker the world thinks he is, but a man searching for true love. Everything takes a turn when Finnegan crosses paths with Aurelia Winslow - a recently fired librarian - who is unimpressed by him. After their public altercation goes viral, she's thrown into the contest. For Finnegan, it's a chance to rebuild his reputation. For Aurelia, it's merely a paycheck. Will Finnegan face the truth and reclaim his integrity, or will the spotlight expose him for good? Can he prove he's more than just a tabloid scandal, or will this love experiment be the final nail in his Hollywood coffin? ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ | ★ | ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ Open Novella Contest - main prompt 31, secondary prompts 126,128 130. © 2025 minsari // all rights reservedComplete
NORP Meets NAT
NORP - Normal, Ordinary, Responsible, Person NAT - Necessary Action Taken Grant 'Norp' Wealleyn comes from an all-White family full of doctors. They think his perfect partner should be a prestigious doctor and anything else just doesn't fit into the plan. Nathalie 'Nat' Williams comes from an all-Black family full of cops. They hoped she would someday marry someone in law enforcement and it was something her father always envisioned. Grant's mother is incredibly stubborn and Nathalie's father is as equally stubborn. Both parental figures are more alike than they'd like to admit. They might've overlooked the color difference, had their children chosen what they deemed to be an equal-class partner. Their relationship has to survive through classism, racism and all the bigotry their families decide to hurl at them. How far will their families go? And when will it be enough? For the OpenNovellaContest II. First time trying Drama-Romance, rather than skirting about in the edges. It's my first romantically focused story, but I still hope the focus on the issues remain pertinent. Here's hoping it's not a complete and endless stream of twaddle! *Because of a comment and after some deliberation, I thought it best to write this in the description to avoid any future confusion. This story is written in the technique of 'multiple internal focalisation', switching between Grant and Nathalie at times-two separate POVs-with the separate constant narrator. Hopefully, this clarifies any future questions about that after the first few chapters.Complete
Sacrifice For The Job
(This story is mostly smut as I plan on my next release being more innocent and lacking in that area. It also focuses very little on side characters since I wanted to keep the story short after feeling like my more recent stories have been a bit too long) After having the glow up of her dreams, Aria Hart finally believes she can get and do anything she wants. With that in mind, she goes after the job her ill uncle had always dreamt for her. She knows it will make him proud and believes pretty privilege will work in her favor. To her surprise, when she finally speaks to the man in charge, Elijah Caddel, she realizes that pretty privilege comes with a lot more opportunities than she previously imagined. Not all of them great. Aria finds herself in a deal she would have never imagined. One that actually makes her scowl upon hearing it. But when that deal can make or break her promise to her sick uncle, she feels she has no other choice but to accept it. After hearing the severity of the terms and experiencing it firsthand, Aria can't decide how she feels about their new agreement. Or how she feels about Elijah. (Similarly to "No Good For You", this story only details the start of their relationship. Not the during.) (Warning: this story is for readers 21+, intense smut scenes and language are included. Reader discretion advised.) (Story does switch POVs)Complete
Hive Island - The Awakening | Open Novella Contest 2020
A secluded tropical island. An unexpected letter from an expert zombie researcher. A decade after the last zombie sighting, it's all the reason Oliver needs to buy a one-way ticket to the island. The threat he uncovers is unlike anything he has ever experienced before. Only one question matters: will he survive long enough to warn the rest of the world about what's coming? ---------------------- Soon also on Royal Road! (July/Aug 2022) Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2020 Horror and Paranormal Prompt #41Complete![Moebius 2157 | ONC2019 Short List [Complete]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/173976333-256-k815092.jpg)
Moebius 2157 | ONC2019 Short List [Complete]
Special Agent Alyssa Caine has been tasked with the most important mission of her life: the assassination of the man who would bring about the end of the world. The only problem? He is already dead. A minor issue that is resolved in the year 2157 when a renegade group of scientists develops a device that allows to jump through time. They recruit the former special agent to send her back fifty years, to take just one man out of the equation, a minimal change with a predicted maximal effect on the fate of the world, and prevent a devastating war that has driven the last surviving humans to live in decrepit underground bunkers. Every action has a consequence. Alyssa is humanity's last hope, and her actions will determine the fate of the whole world. She is willing to sacrifice everything for a better future. But she soon realizes that the impact of her actions might be beyond her control, and beyond all predictions. _____ Highest Rankings: #16 in Science [06.02.2019] #36 in Dystopia [06.02.2019] #65 in FemaleProtagonist [01.02.2019] #71 in TimeTravel [06.02.2019] #1 in Paradox [28.02.2019] #1 in ONC2019 [01.02.2019] #3 in OpenNovellaContest2019 [28.02.2019] This is my entry for the ONC 2019! At first I thought I'd pick something a bit out of my comfort zone (so.... NOT SciFi for once...) to expand my horizon, but when I saw a prompt about time travel I was immediately inspired. Please keep in mind, all of this is WIP! The title, cover, and some of the content might change at any time... I have an outline and I worked hard to come up with a compelling and consistent story line, but due to the nature of the story (timey whimey stuff!) I might have to revise things a few times as I write. I'm grateful for any feedback and I hope you enjoy :)Complete
Elevate | ONC 2021
🏅 ONC 2021 || Longlister 🏅 Added to Round One Ambassador's Pick List How would you react if the elevator in your workplace took you to a different world at every floor? Sintra Magnus, CEO of America's most renowned charity organization finds herself as a player in a vicious game of wit and skill when an elevator ride with her rival company's boss takes them to a divergent world at each floor. Shocked and confused, she reluctantly joins forces with her adversary as they try to stay alive and clear the hurdles of this mysterious and deadly game by combining their sheer intelligence and luck. The goal? To Elevate! Though, the details of this achievement are still quite unknown. -------------- WARNING ⚠️ : This book contains mature themes such as graphic violence and explicit language. Readers discretion is advised. • Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2021 • Prompts: #1. "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." from The Dark Knight #31. "Just curious, how do I exit this game?" #65. "Really? Of all the things you decide to bring on our underground excursions you bring salt?" #67. "What? Why are you looking at me as if I grew horns?"Complete
The Ascent Between
Kiara Steele, a twenty-four-year-old girl, never dreamed her wedding would be sealed with silence instead of love. At twenty-four, she finds herself married to Samuel Stone, an aloof billionaire CEO, eighteen years her senior, a widower with no children, only to save her father's collapsing company. Their union is nothing more than a contract: no touch, no feelings, no expectations. But living under the same roof with a man carved from ice proves far more complicated than Kiara imagined. Samuel keeps his distance, haunted by the loss of his late wife, while Kiara struggles against the loneliness of a loveless home. For six months, they live as strangers bound by vows neither of them wanted. Until one unexpected night breaks every rule. In a story of sacrifice, secrets, and the forbidden emotions, Kiara and Samuel must decide: Will their marriage remain platonic or will fate turn it into something dangerously real? #1st in Developments (13/11/2025) 💖🔥 out of 19.7K stories #1st in Wholesome (14/11/2025) ❤️ out of 15.4K stories #1st in Aloof (17/12/2025) #2nd in Ageisjustanumber (14/11/2025) out of 1.44K stories Hello, dear readers! Before you begin The Ascent Between, I would like to share a short disclaimer. I have made this story up out of my own imagination. The similarity to real people, real events, and other writings of literature must be coincidental. Chances are that you try to notice a connection between them, but I would like to assure you that it is accidental. The plot, characters, and scenes are my original works. I'm requesting the readers to appreciate the effort and imagination invested in my work. Any form of copying, reproduction, or stealing of anything in this story is at all costs forbidden. Plagiarism not only antagonises the author but also undercuts the entire storytelling community. Thank you for helping with originality to make this space friendly to writers and readers. Let's begin this journey together! - AlexaComplete
Being a 'difficult woman', Oklahoma farm-gal Mavis wasn't having much luck with the local dating pool. Her Pa signed her up to emigrate to newly terraformed Mars, because 'Mars needs women'. Maybe there she could find a good man to marry. But Mavis had no intention of getting hitched, despite what the legal contract said. Walt, the son of successful Mars merchants, had no intention of going through with a forced arranged marriage. Finding a kindred spirit in Mavis, they chose their own path. A quirky sci-fi romance with a frontier vibe. **** Open Novella Contest Short List and Honorable Mention **** **** Open Novella Contest Round Two Ambassador Pick **** **** Novella Grand Winner - 2025 NanoWatt Awards ****
More detailsContent Guidelines