EXES & SECRETSDiana managed to pull through the mental drain of a job she was doing as she tried not to think about her recent predicament. She avoided leaving her office till work hours were over.She had declined to go on a lunch break because she could not bear to be the object of attention. Besides, her appetite for the day was ruined. She could not wait for the day to be over.She was still carefully going through the files when a call came through her office line. She picked the phone up and put it against her ears."Diana King's office," She answered with an air of professionalism."Hello Diana, how is my favorite independent lady?" Priscilla greeted in a provocative voice.Diana's face morphed into anger the moment she heard that sly and annoying voice. She fought the urge to hang up the phone. "What do you want Priscilla?" Diana asked wearily."Well, I am happy to hear from you too," Priscilla said instead, deliberately ignoring Diana's question.Diana rolled her eyes in fru
GIRLS & WINE"Get away with me."Diana stared at Nicholas, frozen in time for a split second; amazed by the offer that he had just placed before her, asking herself why she had not met him earlier.Those four words were enough to clear her doubts. She believed that they needed some time together to figure things out. She did not even hesitate before she agreed. This was what she had wanted, a man who would love he for who she was and she was happy to have found her man in Nicholas."I have to go home to pack though," Diana pointed out to him.Nicholas frowned like there was a bad taste in his mouth. "I don't like to spend time away from you, I just realized that now," he complained playfully.Although it was a jovial statement, it put butterflies in Diana's stomach. She wondered if his words meant something more. If there was hope for the both of them to become a thing or if Nicholas would become the man of her dreams.Soon, the closing hours struck as slowly as the day started. She g
THE BITCH WHO RUINED IT ALL"You are not staying long are you?" Maria asked sadly. "Your husband has a way of taking the fun of life every time he calls."Maria's tone sounded so defeated that it made Diana feel bad. She wished that she could spend longer hours with Maria. She felt as if since she got that job, she hardly ever had time for her friend."I am so sorry, Maria. It's been quite hectic even with us apart. It's just one problem or the other," Diana solemnly replied, the weariness in her voice evident."How so?" Maria asked, a mixture of concern and worry etched themselves on her face."For starters, Matteo has changed somehow...he is less demanding and firmer. It's like he became a new person entirely," Diana said broadly.Chad said nothing but listened and occasionally sipped his wine. He could relate to Matteo's transformation. He had to change at a point in his life himself. It had been filled with traumatic experiences.Maria said nothing, waiting for her friend to conti
A NIGHT TO NEVER FORGETFriday evening was a night Diana would never forget. Nicholas had created a rather delightful surprise for her. He had arranged for a private dinner on a beautifully lit terrace.Diana noticed as she brought her luggage into Nick's apartment that there were rose petals on the floor spelled in her name and an arrow indicated for her to go upstairs.She left the luggage in the living room and excitedly ran upstairs to the bedroom. The room was decorated with flowers and candles, creating a romantic atmosphere.She gasped affectionately and put her hands on her chest, fighting back tears. There was a wine-colored off-shoulder thigh-slit dress and matching heels hanging out for her at the corner of the room.There was a folded paper with her name boldly written on it. Curiosity getting the better of her, she unfolded the paper to read...'I await you, my queen, up on the terrace where the sky smiles at me with her darkest shades.' She smiled, feeling the warmth of
INSATIABLE DESIRESNicholas squeezed the sheets on his bed as he tried to stop himself from releasing into Diana's mouth. He wanted to enjoy her blow job for as long as he could.Diana sucked hard on his member with all the love she could muster, she wanted Nicholas to never forget this night. She stroked, slurped, and fondled his shaft with gusto. He felt big and hard in her mouth and she rolled her tongue on his throbbing member."Diana. . .you're driving me crazy. . ." He moaned as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.Nicholas curled his toes in pleasure and let out a low groan as he felt himself approaching climax. Diana could also sense him coming and increased her pace, bringing him over the edge with a final thrust into her mouth.Diana gratefully swallowed his seed. Nicholas looked at her in surprise, amazed at her expertise at handling him. He pulled her closer and claimed her mouth. His kiss was deep and passionate as he felt grateful for their time together.It was a mo
117. TO GET MY WIFE BACKMatteo did not bother going home tonight. He did not want to go home to an empty apartment. He sat dejectedly in his office with a cup of bourbon in his hand.Ever since Nana revealed the truth about his parent's demise, he had felt something change in him. Something he could not describe. But he knew that he had been filled with a new purpose.It was time to get serious. He had ordered his unit to search for his exes from his college days so he could get to the bottom of Priscilla's motive for coming back into his life.Matteo was aware that Priscilla wanted something more than his love or body. He knew how overtly ambitious she could get whenever she wanted something.He had been so mad at her for turning his life into a game she could play whenever she was bored. But when his Unit had shown him a secret file about her mental health, he had understood.However, it did not excuse her behavior. He took a swig of his drink and frowned at how bitter it was. He n
118. PRISCILLA ON EDGEPriscilla Randall sat alone in her mansion trying to keep her mind from shattering into little pieces. None of her plans were working and she had no idea why.Her informant was nowhere to be found, it was like he vanished from the face of the earth. If there was one thing she hated more, it was being ignored and people got hurt when they don't pay attention to her.Her informant was keeping her in the dark and he would pay dearly for that but first, she needed to know what he had found. For the eighteenth time, she had called him but his line was still switched off.Priscilla could not understand why he was not picking up. She finally called one of the moles she had planted in his office for information but she knew just how pointless it was.She called Amanda Knowles.The line rang a few times before it was answered."What the fuck kept you?" Priscilla said, her voice was menacing."I am so sorry ma'am, I was asleep," Amanda said, sounding drowsy."I do not pay
119. THE END IS NIGHIt was a strange call. No one anticipated the chaos, with the backing of his dearest grandmother that Matteo would cause the next day.Five in the morning, he put a cold firm instruction for Amanda to follow."Good morning sir. I am already in the lobby," Amanda answered, breathing heavily.Matteo knew that she was late to work and was just rushing to get out of the house. He figured that she did not sleep well.It was probably because Priscilla had called her through the night demanding answers. It was all part of his plan. He had purposely ordered Black Hound to scare her.The incident would be stamped into her so that under confrontation, she would have no choice but to tell Priscilla about the incident."Send an email to all the employees that a mandatory board meeting is going to take place in the next hour. Whoever fails to attend loses their job. Oh, and real employees only.""Yes sir," Amanda said suddenly wide awake. Matteo's cold stern voice had jolted h
147. IS THIS THE END?Suicide and Chrome were both exhausted from their ongoing combat with this huge guy. They had wanted to go after Matteo as he was carrying his wife's unconscious form away.It was the sound of the gunshot that made them realize just how deeply they were fucked. They saw Nicholas, his face already white from blood loss holding his severely bleeding crotch, twitching and jerking involuntarily in pain.Suicide and Chrome realized to their horror that Nicholas was never going to have sex again. They both turned and ran after Matteo only to be blocked by a giant they had not even heard coming.Suicide brought out a wicked-looking jack knife, military-grade, while Chrome had on a pure gold knuckle duster on his right fist and a shining silver one on his left fist.Black Hound knew that both men were a package deal. He had done a quick reading of their bio-data to have a feel for how they both operated.Suicide would attack first with a knife from a flank and Chrome wou
THE RESCUEMasters Randall was neither a superstitious man by nature nor a religious one per se. But today of all days did not feel right. He could not tell what was making him uneasy but he was sure something was amiss.He had not spoken to his daughter in days now and he was worried about what shit show she may have started behind his back. He had failed that daughter of his and there was nothing he could do to change that.This morning when he had called Martha on his phone, there was no answer. That gave him his first reason to be concerned. Martha always answered his call no matter where she was or what she was doing.The second person she answered like that was her grandson. So what was the reason why La Matrona of the Consortium refused to pick up the phone?Had Priscilla run her mouth again? There were so many questions going through his old mind he did not know which one to answer.Masters had spent the night in his study with a cup of scotch and a Cuban cigar, his head tingl
145. END GAME"I hope that I can trust you, Mr. Armani," James Molten said as he was about to get down from the vehicle.Matteo assured him confidently. "Your shares are safe in my hands James and I plan to stay here for a while. I am not going anywhere."James Molten nodded and opened the door to get out without saying another word.Matteo was left alone with his driver as the car sped on."There is something you need to know," Black Hound said as he looked straight ahead. There was a graveness in the way he spoke.Matteo listened with rapt attention."I got some recordings that you will want to hear," Black Hound said. "I want you to listen to it in this vehicle because as of now, it is the only secure place," He finished.Matteo was becoming uneasy. "That bad?" He asked, looking at the rearview mirror to see the eyes of his bodyguard."I think bad is an understatement, it is going to be a shocking revelation," Black Hound said in a solemn tone."Alright, let's hear it," Matteo said
144. THE LAST MOVE~SOME HOURS EARLIERNicholas, tired of standing went back inside after watching the box burn. He still had felt no closure. He wanted nothing but revenge. The phone in his pocket buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket.It was an email from the company. He pushed the notification and read the contents of the message.The iPhone struck the wall with tremendous force and shattered into small pieces, the parts clattering everywhere.Nicholas was fuming and growling, his hands tightened into fists. How dare they fire him? Who the fuck did they think he was? He was not going down without a fight.The pain he was going through fueled his rage. He would make them pay one way or another. He stomped down the stairs blind with fury. He pictured his hands wrapped tightly around Matteo's neck.Then the neck slowly transformed in his head, morphine into a small slender supple neck that belonged to Diana. A sick smile played on his lips.He went into the kitchen and opened the
143. GRANNY TIMESDiana was glad to get out of her lodge. She was happy it was a work day. She was excited to get back to work despite everything that had happened around her.She had also become fast friends with the clerk that was rude to her on the first day she had tried to get a room. There was no point in dragging things out with another woman who was just trying to survive.Her husband had surprised her last night. It threw her off for a minute when she realized just how thoughtful he had become.She was just preparing herself for the next day which was today. The time was seven thirty in the evening when a knock interrupted her preparation. She left what she was doing and walked to the door.As she opened it, she was met with the sight of a familiar face.Nana gazed down warmly at her. She had behind her luggage that was pink in color."Nana? Come in," Diana said waving her hand towards the inviting living room.Nana shuffled into the living room, dragging her luggage with he
142. SHOW DOWNThe silence was deafening, except for the rustling of leaves that got blown around by the wind. It was obvious that all five wealthy people who were sitting together around the dinner table that late Monday morning were enemies.Each figure had his or her agenda at the pit of their dark twisted minds.Priscilla wanted Matteo and everything that came with him.Ashley wanted her father's company and Katie— well, it was not clear what she wanted.Matteo knew that there was no logical way out of this. However, he did have an advantage and he could not wait to use it. He suspected that Priscilla may have figured out his secret plan, but he wasn't too concerned.There was no stopping what was about to happen. Once and for all, he was going to stop all her incessant dealings and manipulation.He could tell that she was worried and she was right to be. This game had gone on long enough. He could also tell that James Molten wanted out.Matteo vividly saw the look of desperation
141. DARK NICKYThe past two days had been rather strange and unpredictable for Nicholas Wilson. First, he woke up with pain on a soft sofa which had dried drool all over his face. Everything hit him all at once. The pain, the hangover, and the nausea.He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. It was until a woman with a stark resemblance to Diana approached him with concern, breaking the disorienting haze of his mind. Her gentle yet determined voice pulled him back to reality and into her warm embrace.Then everything had come back to him and he was filled with embarrassment. He quickly shook off the lingering humiliation and focused on the present moment.He was supposed to meet with her for his mental health. His head was pounding. He turned toward her still disoriented only for a glass of water and some oblong white pills were shoved in his hands."It will help with the hangover," Lexi's voice echoed and rang into his ears as he stared at the assortment of pills un
140. THE KING OT CHESSMatteo understood the concern coming from his bodyguard but this was something he had to do alone. He needed the closure."Sir you realize that you are going behind enemy lines," Black Hound voiced out with slight annoyance."I understand but this is something that I have to do alone, it is a personal matter," Matteo casually replied to his bodyguard.Black Hound said nothing else. There was no changing his boss's mind."Besides, I do not want them to know about our business just yet," Matteo further added."That is if Priscilla is going to be present," Black Hound said."She is the mastermind behind this, of course, she will be there," Matteo said with certainty."Is that not more of a reason for me to come along? The stakes are higher than before sir," Black Hound insisted."The more reason for you to stay back. After all, you are my Trump card," Matteo replied as he adjusted his tie."How do I look?" Matteo turned and asked his bodyguard."You look like you a
139. CHAT WITH THE SHRINKNicholas said nothing as he stared ahead with a straight expression on his face. The car was filled with an uneasy silence, creating an oppressive atmosphere. This was mostly because Nicholas was at the center of the matter.He had been bailed by Dr. Amorr and was sitting in her car. He had pretended to be so ashamed of himself when she had come for him but dropped the charade in the car."You can drop me off at home, thank you," Nicholas arrogantly said as he relaxed to rest his eyes.It had been a long day. He opened his eyes and stretched his tired muscles, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. He looked outside the window ignoring the driver who had earlier helped him."Welcome," Dr. Amorr abruptly interrupted his short sightseeing.Nicholas made to get down and hissed in pain. He had felt so relaxed that he had forgotten about his sprained ribs. He slowly got down from the car, wincing from the pain it caused him with every step that he took forward.B