"This yacht is stunning," Tanya gasped. She was right. It was huge. It had three massive levels and something I'd never been on. I've never been out of the city, let alone sail in the ocean. There were many people there, both men and women, one looking more luxurious than the next. Luckily, I had Tanya change into one of the outfits at Callista's home. She insisted. "What are we doing here again," Tanya asked. "I'm not sure," I replied. "No," she lowered her tone and seized my arm, "I meant we, as in Eric as well." "That is something we need a drink for," I stated as we exited the yacht. We weaved through the crowd of wealthy people to the inside of the yacht. It was beautiful. The dark oak was so breathtaking; the mere architecture of it was well worth the price. We sat in luxurious leather bar chairs before setting down our Louis Vuitton handbags. "Two skinny margaritas with Clix vodka, please," I ordered. "So-" Tanya started. I put my finger up as the drinks we
I made my way to the second level of the yacht, where Callista and Eric were talking at separate tables. Callista was talking to a short, blond-haired older woman. Her paid tan was nearly orange, and her teeth were bleached ultra-white. The massive diamonds around her wrist and neck showcased her money and body. The bathing suit she had on must have been from Victoria's Secret. Her Louis Biutton Heels accentuated her near-perfect physique, which she proudly displayed. I saw Callista caress her forearm with a seductive smile. The same one she gives to me. Was this female someone she'd already been with before me? "What's the plan?" Tanya asked. I glanced over at her. A devious smile overtook me, "Go mingle. Get to know them and let me know what they are about. I'm going to get to know the people I'm fucking." We cheer once more before going our separate ways. I made my way over to Callista in stride. "Hello again," Roy appeared before me. "Not such a coincidence. We are
There was no way in hell I would ever put Tanya in that position. If she wanted to get to know him, then that's fine, but I'd never pimp her out. She mattered too much to me. I made my way out after Callista to be cut short by Tanya. She looked at me, her eyes widening like I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar. "Follow me," Tanya guided me, pulling me off. "What?" I giggled. She twirled around and began to search through her bag. Once she pulled out her compact, she handed it to me. The mirror revealed a red smear of lipstick all around my mouth. I couldn't help but smile as Tanya gave me a makeup wipe to remove Callista's lipstick. "You you trying to" "Hahaha!" I belted out. "Stop laughing!" Tanya forced out through her laughter. She snatched the wipe from my grasp and began cleaning up my face. I felt like a child, but the laughter continued between us for some reason, "So this is what you were doing. I was looking for you everywhere." "My bad," my giggling began
I sat there alone in Baldwin's kitchen. It was the following day. Eric had a client, and Tanya had left with Roy, so I went home with them. Nothing happened, though; we just got back, and the sun was rising. I'm not going to lie; I wouldn't mind a line of cocaine right now. I was out of it from all the alcohol and being awake for nearly 24 hrs. I saw Callista sauntering from the stairwell, a look of victory in her eyes. I gave a devious smile in reply. She came over to me and pecked me on the lips before placing a slip of paper in front of me. It was a cashier's check for 20,000 dollars. I hid my joy. It was more than I thought she'd give me. "Happy with the outcome?" I smugly asked. "Among other things," she giggled. "They left together," I confirmed, "I was surprised myself. I wouldn't take him for her type." "She's safe. We've known him for decades," she reassured me, "I can tell you care for her." "She's like family," I confirmed. "So," I sighed from exhaustion, "What
"So," Roy started. He's rich, but I still stand by what I said earlier. He has many women filtering in and out, probably multiple at once. He was attractive, though. His sun-kissed skin accentuated the silver streaks throughout his black hair. It was long and brushed back out of his face but not long enough to put in a ponytail. His rich man's cologne oozed money, and his diamond-studded Rolex added to the luxury. He knew he was attractive and used it to his advantage often. He knew he barely had to try. His appearance showed it all—an absolute bachelor. "Tanya," he continued while sipping his drink, "How do you know the Baldwins?" "Just a friend, newly acquainted," I embellished, "How do you?" "I'm their business partner. We met in our early twenties. The three of us were a wild trio back then. Callista had so much spunk to her, and Dimitri had his drive; I had my creativity. We were unstoppable," he started. He glanced down at his drink, reminiscing and sad simultaneously. "
"So that pretty much sums it up," Tanya explained. "I have to admit," I started, "I never would have pegged Roy as your type. I mean, do you think he's a sleazy guy with all these chicks coming around? Or did you say that because you feel you're not good enough to catch his eye." "Careful," Tanya warned. "Hey, I love you and know you could wrap him around your finger, begging for you," I smirked. She looked at my response quizzically. She was not judgmental but more surprised and proud: "You're finally starting to grow into your own." "You hate?" I asked. "I like. I never knew this would be the woman you'd start to become, but I don't hate it," she smiled. Before we could say anything, there was a knock on the door. I looked at Tanya in confusion before Dimitri descended the stairs. His black shirt was completely unbuttoned, and a rich man's belt held up his jeans. Perfect touseled hair and barefoot. He looked up, and our eyes met briefly. I know I gave him sex eyes, and he s
Once dressed and ready to go, a limousine arrived to take us to our destination. "Ladies," Roy opened the door and gestured for us to go in. As we made our way inside, I'm not sure who, but someone grabbed my ass. I wanted to see who it was, but they both had made their way next to us by the time I was situated. "You two look lovely," Roy smirked as he poured us each a glass of champagne. \ "Thank you," I replied while looking at Dimitri. It was hard not to get wet with this toy inside of me, but I was doing my best to keep myself distracted. "Aren't you sweet," Tanya lied. We looked over at one another both with a wicked grin. This could be fun. My best friend fucking and using the man who just so happens to be the partner of the man I'm fucking and using. Two peas in a pod. We both giggled, and the two men looked at us. "What are you whispering about over there?" Dimitri questioned, taking out his phone as a warning. "Just a little tipsy. I've been drinking sinc
Once we were all seated and Roy and Dimitri ordered for us, Tanya and I went to the bar to get a bottle of champagne and orange juice. I needed a drink. "So that was wild," Tanya commented. We glance over at one another, sharing the same glance. We erupted into laughter. How the hell did we get here? At some rich brunch place with two billionaires? Partners nonetheless? It was so thrilling, but it was also hard to take in. Laughter seemed like the best alternative. "Seems like Roy likes you," I hinted. "Dimitri likes you," she teased with a slight nudge of her shoulder, "I heard what happened in your room earlier." I blushed a shade of red so bright on my face that I felt like the entire room could see me. She was smiling happily and unaffected. "Come on," she giggled, "You've known me how long? Would I do as I'm told? Let alone by some guy you're fucking?" I pressed my tongue to the side of my cheek. She had a point, "What all did you hear?" She leaned closer
Everything went numb; Dimirti was kind enough to care for Rowan so I could see my son. Aodhan had no color in his lips, no pink in his cheeks like he used to; he was lying there lifeless. They often speak about the pain in your heart that you feel when you lose a loved one. They don't tell you how a hole begins to form more significant and more prominent in your heart in place of that pain, causing you to push everything and everyone away. It doesn't hurt because when you allow yourself to, it becomes so overwhelming that you just might kill or die yourself. That's what I did. I pushed down my feelings and wiped my tears because the other two weren't options. Dimitri handled the hotel arrangements for the three of us, ensuring we had the best suite on the highest floor available. No matter how much cocaine I did or how much alcohol I drank, I felt nothing. Days, months, and soon, a year went by, and I was still empty and numb. Dimitri suggested I send Rowan to boarding school wit
"Mom! It's Aodhan!" Rowan cried. I looked over and fell to my knees; tears began falling in pools from my eyes; Aodhan had been shot, too. My son, lying there lifeless. "Ahh!" I screamed. Panic settled in; blood was pouring from my baby, and I couldn't plug the hole. What can I do? I tried applying pressure with my hands, unable to stop sobbing. "Go! Pilot! Go!" Dimitri hollered while latching the stairs/door closed. The Pilot took off, knocking everyone over, but continued to press on Aodhan's wounds, his warm blood slick on my fingers as I tried applying pressure to his chest. I saw Dimitri protect Rowan from falling over, scooping him up. "Dimitri! Help me!" I begged. A look of shock overtook Dimitri briefly before he rushed, overmoved my hands, and began applying pressure to the wound, "Pilot! Closest hospital!" "What happened to Reign!? Oh my god, Ariel was shot, too!" I whined. "I don't fucking know, someone was shooting, but I couldn't see who it was. They
Standing perplexed, I aimed for Zeus, but he dodged and missed both bullets. "Are you crazy?!" Zeus hollered. "No, I'm twisted!" I corrected myself. "Just like how you made me!" I shot once more, Zeus running and diving behind the desk. "Ivy, stop!-" "Don't!" I hissed, pointing the gun at Reign. I'm tired of both of you Castles telling me what to do!" Before I knew what was happening, I felt heaviness tackle me to the floor, accidentally firing another shot. "Get off of me!" I screamed. I fought beneath him, but I was no match. Zeus took the gun and backed away from me. "Fuck! Ivy! You shot Reign!" Dimitri hollered. Panic briefly flooded over me but was replaced with a barrel now pointed at me. "What do you want?!" I shouted. "You! I want you! But that's never enough! Everything I do is never enough for you!" Zeus complained. "Your son is dying-" "I can have more!" Zeus winced. Dimitri tackled Zeus to the ground, and the two began exchanging blows. I
"Okay, knock it off, you two," I groaned, "Leave Zeus." "No," Zeus declined. "Then you're going to watch me fuck her-" "Mom!" Rowan came running in alongside Aodhan with a big smile. I blinked in confusion. One of his front teeth was missing, but he wasn't crying or sad about it. The dried blood on his teeth indicated it happened a while ago. "I fell off my bike and lost my tooth!" Rowan excitedly jumped up and down. "Are you okay?" I worried. "Yeah! Aodhan said if I were a big boy and didn't cry, the tooth fairy would come and give me money for my tooth!" he said, shining. Aodhan knew the tooth fairy wasn't real. I glanced at him, and he gave me a 'Mom shut up' look. "Of course!" I fibbed. "Come on. I'll get you cleaned up, and we'll put that tooth under the pillow as soon as we're done," Ariel said, lifting Rowan in her arms and taking him to the bathroom. "Do you enjoy making my sex life miserable?" I snapped. "Miserable?" he retorted, "How is it misera
How could such a man be so naive? I never gave him an answer. Instead, I left the room and went back to my own. I knew it bothered him, me not answering. From the looks of it the following morning, it drove him crazy. Zeus made me a luxurious breakfast, eagerly awaiting an answer, which I still refuse to give. "Why not, Ivy?" Zeus pressed. I bit into the juicy strawberry. The hint of sweetness followed by the rush of jaw-clenching sour made everything much more enjoyable. "I like you son more than I like you," I admitted, "And Dimitri." "What if I told you they aren't who you thought they were," Zeus reasoned. Narrow-eyed, I annoyedly glared at him, "What do you mean?" "What if I told you they knew I was alive all along, and we made a bet," Zeus added. "What type of bet?" I pressed. "Now that takes the fun out of the bet," he taunted. "Fuck you," I scoffed while hastily rushing back to my room. Zeus always knew how to lift me and get under my skin. "Asshole,"
Everything was such a blur. I don't remember what happened. Zeus was pinning me down, then nothing. I blinked; it was dark, and only the roaring fire lit up the dark far corners of the room. This was Zeus's room. My throat was dry. I could barely breathe. I tried rolling over when something caught on my wrist. "What the fuck?" I yanked again, this time hearing metal clanking. Both my wrists and ankles were shackled to the four-poster bed frame. "You're awake," Zeus commented. Looking at him furiously, I could prop myself on my elbows and say, "Let me go, now!" "No," he denied. "Now-" "No one is here, so there's no point to scream," he interrupted. "Why the Hell did you shackle me to your bed frame!" I shouted, "I would have fucked you if that's what you wanted, but instead, you knock me out. I began coughing uncontrollably, and Zeus rushed to my aid, raising the water glass to my mouth to quench my thirst. "You knew you would be punished," he reminded. "How do y
"Do you like frustrating me? Making me angry? Toying with my emotions?" Zeus growled upon approaching me. "Yes," I teased, "You look like a hurt little puppy." "What about these past five years? Does that not matter? Have the nights we spent together meant nothing?" Zeus questioned. "I do love that the boys have father figures in their lives, but I already spoke to them about it, and they want to move back as well," I sighed, "As for the nights, a woman needs sex too." "Their children!" Zeus's anger grew, his eyes turning dark. "If you're doing this to get back at me, I'm sorry. I've been apologizing to you for the past five years. Can you not see that?" While sauntering over to Zeus, my eyes locked onto his. The fury beckoning behind them made me want to do conniving things. I took his glass of whiskey and downed its contents. "I do see it, and I don't care if it hurts you," I lied. Zeus gripped my wrist; this time, it was painful, not in a fun way. "Ah!" I winced.
My bar was engulfed in roaring flames. Tears streamed down my cheek as Veronica tried to deviate when the fire department arrived and finally extinguished the fire. I stood there, listening to people speak about property insurance and the time it would take to rebuild everything that had burned. "Ivy!" Zeus hollered, running up to me. "What are you doing here?!" I panicked, "Aodhan-" "Ariel called your phone, and she told me what happened. She's watching him," he reassured. His eyes widened in shock, and he looked at the catastrophe the fire left behind in its wake. Zeus was about to speak when he pulled aside the man trying to talk to me about the building. My blank expression spoke volumes. Hours passed in a blur, and Zeus returned home with me. "So it seems, perhaps three years, the bar can be rebuilt. They have to tear everything down and start from scratch," Zeus explained. "So, I lost everything?" I whispered. "No, Ivy," Zeus looked at me, trying his
"What?!" Zeus snapped. "You heard me. If I let you be a part of my boys' lives, then there would be no need for a DNA test, right?" I repeated. The rage building behind his eyes gave me the satisfaction I needed in this situation. "Why is it such a big deal about knowing who their father is?" he diverted. "Why do you care if I allow you to be in their lives without issue?" I debated. "She's not wrong," Ariel giggled while pecking me on the cheek. "Hey, now, she's not all yours, you know," Zeus reminded, I began to kiss Ariel passionately. "All right, fine, I concede," Zeus surrendered. Ariel and I began to laugh hysterically like candy from a baby. "I suppose me offering you to stay in Ireland with me is out of the question?" he asked. "Not necessarily; we could always use it to escape the city," I smirked, "Keep it." Ariel scurried off to work, and success reared its corner when I could see the jealousy in Zeus's eyes. "It doesn't bother you that I fuck Di