CJI felt bouts of sadness watching Lenora. She looked lost, with a flash of wild grief rippling through her. Her hair was disheveled, and she was dressed in pajama pants and a T-shirt with 'Sugar Baby' written across her chest. She must have been in bed all day. My fingers twitched to hug her and make her feel better. My poor baby.Her alluring lips trembled when I approached her and a small, breathless whisper escaped them. Although she wanted us to break up, I could see in her eyes that she didn't want to let me go without a fight. We were supposed to be together for the rest of our livesA heaviness centered in my chest when her doe eyes clung to mine, making my heart skip several beats."Baby, I want us to talk.""There's nothing to talk about," she looked away, frowning."I know you love me, and I know you're hurt, but we can't let our families stop us from being happy, whether or not they approve of us."She looked down as if hiding her feelings. "Mairselle is your daughter
LenoraI sorted through my wardrobe, the colorful fabrics tumbling through my fingers. This trip was annoying and I wasn't excited for it. I know it sounds selfish, especially when my dad was trying so hard to mend things between me and Esme. With a soft groan, I settled amidst the sea of clothes and travel bags, sighing as if the weight of the world rested on my shoulders.Then Dad walked into my room just as my fingers were lingering on the frayed edges of my favorite boots. He held my passport in one hand and waved the boarding pass in the other, excitement dancing in his eyes."Ethiopia. Here we come."I let out another groan. "Dad, I don't think this trip to Ethiopia is the right time."He raised an eyebrow, looking curious. "And why's that?"I shut my vanity mirror, frowning a little. "Firstly, I feel like we're being rushed into this whole bonding thing. It's not that I don't want to connect with Esme, but forcing it might just make things worse."He sat down beside me, a reas
LenoraThe dining table was a delightful sight, adorned with an array of colorful and aromatic Ethiopian dishes that made my mouth water. Plates of injera, a spongy flatbread, were spread out, accompanied by doro wat, a spicy chicken stew, and kitfo, a minced meat dish. We all gathered around the table and my grandma served us specially. It felt good to be pampered by a female figure. Although my mum was Ethiopian, Esme and I looked more Caucasian than African because of our redundant genes. Esme had curlier hair than my straight one and had a flatter nose. My grandma, her face radiant, heaped more food on our plate. "Lenora, my dear, how do you find the food?" "Absolutely amazing," I smiled. "The flavors are so rich and unique. I've never had anything quite like this before."My dad chuckled, giving me a knowing look. "Told you. Ethiopian cuisine is a treat for the senses and that's one of the reasons I fell in love with your mum."My grandma beamed with pride. "I'm glad you're
Lenora After dinner with CJ, he kissed me and dropped me off two buildings before mine, and I tiptoed through the moonlit backyard. My dad must have fallen asleep but I didn't want to be caught sneaking in this late.The kitchen door creaked softly, and I slipped inside like a ninja, my barefoot barely making a sound. My eyes darted around, scanning to be sure that my dad and Esme were nowhere in sight. Finally, inside, a relieved sigh escaped my lips and I headed towards the refrigerator to gulp down some juice but my eyes bulged in shock and froze when Esme was haunched over Alex aka Bucktooth, in a see-through nightie and they were kissing like there was no tomorrow. His hands were on her hips while she had one arm curled around his neck, moaning.The place reeked of sex with Alex’s fingers cupping Esme's butt. I stared at them for a few more moments, rubbing my eyes to be sure I wasn't hallucinating. They were both so wrapped up in each other that it seemed impossible either
CJBrooklyn was seated behind her desk in a plush leather swivel chair when I entered her office. I offered a bright smile, hoping she'd ended any lingering bitterness she held against me.Clearly, my hopes were in vain. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, staring at me impassively through narrowed eyes. The silence went on for almost thirty seconds before she let out a bored sigh, greeting me with a frown and pretending to be extra busy despite keeping me waiting for over an hour and a half. Calmly, I waited, needing her signature on my thesis for the research grant before moving forward."Good morning, Prof. I hope I'm not intruding on anything important."A humorless smile tugged at her lips, a cold and congested expression that might have terrified me if I didn't know what lay beneath it."I'm actually quite busy, as you can see. Make it quick.""Noted," I said, handing her the thesis anyway. "I need you to sign before I meet the dean of studies."She skimmed through th
LenoraI found myself seated beside Linda in Kilian's apartment. My mood had been better before CJ's call, now I was feeling all sorts of unease, wondering what had gotten into him.Returning from the kitchen after I hung up on him, I made my way back to the living room. Killian handed me a slice of pizza, which I accepted gratefully and sat there with it, not eating. "Yo, it's great to have you guys back," Killian said, his voice warm and ringing across the room. "The campus felt so quiet without the usual banter. Got some much-needed rest though.""And some booze," Kevin laughed."And some fuck?" Linda said breezily and poured orange juice into a glass, her laughter ringing."Yuck. I'm a virgin. Saving myself for my wife," Kevin saidLinda rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Weirdo.""Don't get your hopes up with me," Kevin chuckled nastily. "I'd love my wife to be my only slut.""I pity her already," Linda murmured and despite my foul mood, I laughed, nudging her to give the guy
LenoraMy heart pitter-pattered against my chest when Killian drew nearer, his gray eyes clinging to my face studying me intently. I found myself lowering my lashes, unable to hold his penetrating stare."Hey, Killian."He showed no signs of backing down and I could sense the upcoming barrage of questions. How could I confess that he was the reason why CJ and I were having issues? The innocent guy wasn't the reason behind CJ's unnecessary worrying and controlling nature. If anything, Killian was caring and despite my obvious rejection, he didn't take offense or show hurt. He just accepted it and acted as if nothing happened while he continued to treat me normally. It was so nice, refreshing even."Are you going to tell me what's going on? You look so uneasy. It's your dad calling again, isn't it?"Struggling to maintain a smile, I shook my head. "No, it's nothing, really. Just some personal stuff I need to sort out."Killian's eyes narrowed, lips pressed in a tight line, openly expre
CJLenora's eyes were bright and glossy and I touched her face before her lips met mine in a wet, hot slide. The kiss was long and leisurely, making me dizzy with pleasure. Her fingers found the hem of my shirt and tugged at it with a smile while my mouth opened under hers, tongue tracing the seam of her bottom lip. Our tongues tangled and she made a small, pleased hum."I adore you so much, Lenora." "And I love you." She scraped her nails down the hard muscles of my abdomen, letting her hands play over my body. Every touch was a rough promise and my body softened in welcome to her touch.She looked like something out of a bad porno, her skin flushed with lust and her hair pulled back in an unruly braid from her forehead. Her nipples peaked at the thin material of her bra as she worked her hand over me."Lean back and have fun," she chuckled, wrapping one slender hand around my erection. Her reaction to my thickness was always so wholesome. She was always so excited to suck me.She
LenoraI was busy making sure that the party was going in full swing and tried as much as possible to avoid Titan. Unfortunately, his charming smile and seductive voice had gotten some females in the house, including the married ones. He flirted with anyone, not caring whether they were married or not, and I was annoyed. I couldn't wait for him to get the hell out of my house.I hated him so much because he was a very good pretender and hated myself for falling for his cheap ploy. The party was over. CJ asked me to show the entourage their rooms. I was about to walk past a room but gasped in shock when he drew me inside and shut the door."What are you doing, Titan?" I yelled, giving him a dirty look. I never knew I was capable of being this angry. I felt like using a knife to stab him.My nasty look didn't stop him. Instead, he was adamant and had an amused smile. "You know you turn me on when I see you mad. I missed your lips, darling. And this is between you and me, but I came here
RubyI couldn't believe that that wicked boy and his father were here. It hurt more that he was sitting at the dining table chatting with my dad, looking so smug and confident as if he had done nothing wrong and was fooling my dad, who didn't know how terrible the boy was.He didn't even glance at me and was acting like I was invisible. I felt a surge of pain. How could people be so cruel and heartless? I wanted to scream at him, to tell my dad and everyone how much he hurt me. But I couldn't do that because the Lycans were very important and powerful, and they were my dad's guests. My dad beamed with pride, and I could tell that he was so happy.I was glad that my sister spiked Enzo's food, and I wished she had done more. I couldn't stand being in the same room with him anymore, so I excused myself to get some fresh air. My mom gave me a worried look but didn't say anything. She was also battling with her demons.It didn't help that Jade and Luca were also around. I didn't want to se
Ruby My niece, Jade, hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. Squealing in delight, she wrapped her arms around my neck, almost lifting me off the ground."Can you believe it, Rubs? We're in senior year! This is going to be the best year ever, especially now that I have a boyfriend," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with happiness.Pretending to share her enthusiasm, I returned the smile. There were familiar faces here and there, all chatting, laughing, and reminiscing about their summer. I wished I could escape from it all and go back to my quiet room where I could lay in bed all day. I didn't care about senior year or any of the things that Jade was babbling about. I just wanted to be left alone.I was in the bathroom doing my thing when I heard Tammy and the other queen bees of the school walking to the bathroom. They were putting the finishing touches on their makeup and also talking about who was dating whom. My stomach tightened when they mentioned Luca and Jade."Oh my God,
Lenora After the craziness the previous night, I woke up at five-thirty with a splitting headache. Luckily, there were painkillers in the drawer. After taking them, I decided to go for a run to clear my head and escape from the nightmare that had happened last night.I put on my running shoes, grabbed my phone, and checked the flight app again, hoping to find a way out of this hell, but the next available flight was at seven PM, which meant that we had to wait for another fourteen hours before we could leave Bali.Muttering to myself, I tiptoed out of the room without wanting to wake Ruby, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. She looked so innocent, like an angel, and I felt like a failed mother, for exposing her to strangers who had tried to hurt her.I began running along the beach, feeling the sand under my feet and the breeze on my face. The rising sun painted the sky with orange and pink hues but I couldn't enjoy the beautiful scenery and, despite trying not to focus on what
RubyI sobbed uncontrollably, bitter with myself and that pretender, Enzo, who ended up being everything I never thought he'd be. He seemed harmless, but little did I know that he was up to no good.My mom led me out of the nightclub, her eyes wide with fright. Although I suspected she was a bit tipsy from her stumbling movements, she still managed to hail a taxi and shove me inside.I hated her. I hated her for making me come to Bali with her. I hated her for encouraging me to explore and have fun. I hated her for being a hypocrite and a liar.But I couldn't tell her these things, so I kept quiet.We arrived at the hotel, and she locked the door behind us and turned on the lights. She looked at me with concern in her cornflower-blue eyes."Baby, what happened?" She asked softly. "Did that boy hurt you?"I glared at her through my tears. "And how's that any of your business?"A gasp escaped as if I'd struck her, and her face paled with tears gathering in her eyes."Don't raise your vo
Lenora The first thing that hit me when I stepped into the nightclub with Titan by my side was regret. Unable to fill my lungs, my thoughts turned inwards. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like Titan was controlling my mind, taking control of every cell in my body and keeping a tight grip on my consciousness.When I got to the door, I realized just how stupid I was acting. After CJ called me earlier, I decided to stay away from Titan, knowing that I was growing an attraction for him, but here I was in the club with him, ready to dance the night away. He took my hand and gave it an appreciative squeeze before releasing it.The music was too loud, and the lights were flashing everywhere, making it impossible to see past the crowd, but Titan's eyes were glued to me as if he wanted to see what was under my clothes.I didn't belong here. Maybe if Ruby hadn't gone out for the karaoke night with Enzo and I had someone to talk to, I wouldn't have agreed to come out with Titan.But when
Lenora An adorable smile appeared on Ruby's face, and Enzo grabbed her hand as they ran off, laughing. My daughter looked so happy and carefree, and I could tell she was into the boy. I couldn't blame her. The young man was dashingly handsome, with eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. His hair was parted neatly on one side of his head, with a few tendrils that had escaped, falling onto his forehead. He had a well-built body and strong arms.Standing beside his father, I stole a glance at him. His eyes lit up with a warm smile as he watched the children."It seems our kids are really into each other," he smiled, thrusting his hands in his pockets."It seems so," I cleared my throat and smiled back. But when Titan leaned closer to me, my body froze with paranoia, my blood started beating rapidly, and my heart skipped a beat as though it wanted to escape from my chest."You know, there's something very unique about your girl. Something I can't quite place my finger on," he reac
Ruby I was as high as a kite. The vape was so powerful, and it made me feel dizzy and lightheaded. Enzo was high too, and he was smiling, talking, and even touching me."Enzo, please. Let's go," I tried to push him away, but he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. Then he planted a kiss on my neck."Come on, don't be a sourpuss. We're having fun, sweetie."My body shivered, and I pushed myself away from him. "I really have to go to my mom."Adding enough strength, I stumbled away from him and towards the hotel, hoping my mom wouldn't be in the room. But when I opened my door with my key card, she was on the couch watching a movie on the TV.My heart skipped, and I hoped she wouldn't notice. She merely looked in my direction and waved at me. I sighed in relief when I snuck into the bathroom to wash my face with cold water.After failing miserably to sober up, I snuck into the bedroom and hit the bed, pulling the covers over my head and closing my eyes.I woke up hours late
Ruby I ran into my mum at the hotel lobby, just as I was coming back from the beach. She looked surprised to see me and flustered, like someone running away from something."Darling Where have you been?" she asked. "You need your sunscreen so you don't get sunburned," she said in a motherly voice."I was at the beach. What about you? Where are you coming from?" I asked, staring at her flushed cheeks.She smiled sheepishly and glanced around. "Oh, I was just... sightseeing. You know, enjoying the beauty of Bali."I raised my eyebrows and smirked. "Sightseeing, huh? With whom? That man?"She blushed and shook her head. "No one, just by myself."I didn't believe her for a second. I knew she was lying but decided not to confront her about it. I didn't want to ruin our vacation. Besides, it was none of my business. She was a grown woman, and she could do whatever she wanted except cheat on my dad."Come on, let's go to our room," she grabbed my hand..We entered our room and locked the do