UNFORGETABLE
Indulgence Series
By Aleatha Romig
Release Day: October 22

Marji
Working for a therapist who specializes in exploring hidden desires may sound like a dream job.
It is if hearing other people’s fantasies come to life is your cup of tea.

The truth is that I’m tired of hearing about other people. I want to experience what I’ve only imagined. 

That’s where Lace and Leather comes in.

A falsified referral and I’m in the door. One visit is all I want.

Lucas
Sometimes plans change and life throws curveballs. It’s at times like that when we must force ourselves to move forward and take life a day at a time. 

I did that.

Now I believe I’m ready for more.

To find out if the desires I once possessed still exist, I make the decision to return to a place where anything is possible, Lace and Leather. One visit is all I want.

What happens when one visit turns unforgettable?

From New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes another of her steamy novellas exploring hidden desires. UNFORGETTABLE is a stand-alone story in the INDULGENCE series. Stories may be read in any order.

*Warning: reading may set your e-reader on fire while bringing a smile to your face.*

Have you been Aleatha’d?

——————————————————————————————————-

Pre-order your copy today!
Amazon  |  Nook  |  Apple Books  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Print  

Title: TEMPT THE HOOKUP
Series: TEMPT SERIES (#3)
Author: NATASHA MADISON
Release Day: OCTOBER 22, 2019

Eliahn
Getting pregnant after a booze cruise hookup was not what any parent wanted to hear, so I picked up my entire life and moved to Paris to start over. Six years later, I was ready to go home. 

I was a single mom and the only thing I knew about my son’s dad was his name—Luca. I didn’t need to know anything else.

The universe had other ideas because on our second day back home, the man came crashing back into my life.

Luca 
Attending a welcome back party for my boss’s daughter wasn’t how I wanted to spend my Sunday. But walking in and seeing my hookup from a cruise six years
ago knocks me on my ass. 

It was a weekend of fun and now I’m seeing a pair of eyes, identical to mine, staring right at me. The boy standing next to her is my son. 

Now we’re living next door to each other and attempting to co-parent something that would be easy to do if the pull that brought us together wasn’t still there
making things more complicated.

For six years she haunted my dreams, now she’s haunting my every waking moment.

I let her get away once, now I want to make her mine. 

This time, permanently. 

Only one thing left to do. I have to tempt the hookup.

———————————————————————————————–

Pre-order your copy now!

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon AU  |  Amazon CA   |  Nook  |  Apple  |  Kobo 

Add to Goodreads

About Natasha Madison:

When her nose isn’t buried in a book or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her.

Connect with Natasha:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Reader Group  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Amazon  |  BookBub

Subscribe to Natasha’s newsletter!

NEAT, an all-new standalone contemporary romance by Kandi Steiner, is available now!

“Rival families. Deep secrets. Exact opposites who can’t help but cross all the lines. Neat will leave you thirsty for more Becker Brothers!” — bestselling author Staci Hart

My life is over.

I swore I would never work at the whiskey distillery with my last name on it, that I would never be a part of my father’s legacy. But when I graduated with my art degree and realized there were no jobs, the devil appeared, and I sold my soul, agreeing to work in the family business if he’d give me the art studio I’d always dreamed of.

It can’t be that bad, I thought.

Until I realized my new boss was Logan Becker.

The Becker brothers have a reputation for being trouble, and since I love trouble, it’s no surprise to me that I’m infatuated by that forbidden fruit the first day I walk into the distillery. That lean, whiskey-eyed, too-hot-for-his-own-good man hates me — and I can’t blame him. His family has been at war with mine for decades, and for good reason.

The Beckers and the Scooters are the Montagues and Capulets of Stratford, Tennessee.

But if he’s Romeo, and I’m Juliet? Well… we all know how that story ends — and for that reason, I tell myself to steer clear.

Because if my father finds out I’m falling for Logan Becker, my life actually will be over.

And Logan’s will be, too.

Neat is a stand-alone book in the Becker Brothers Series.

➔ Small town

➔ Country

➔ Romeo & Juliet vibes

➔ Angst paradise

➔ Holiday romance

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US  |  Amazon Worldwide

Add to Goodreads

EXCERPT:

“So… I guess we should just be…” Logan swallowed. “Friends?”

The way he asked it, the way his eyebrows bent together, his lips flattening — I knew it was a hollow offer.

I nodded. “Sure. Of course.” A smile that felt like a wave of nausea found my lips. “Friends.”

Logan watched me, and I watched him, both of us waiting for something more. It seemed like there were a million unborn words between us, floating in the air, waiting for us to reach out and grab them and bring them to life. When a long moment of silence had passed, Logan bit the inside of his cheek, picking up his highlighter he’d abandoned on the desk when I’d walked in like he was ready to get back to work.

“But,” I said, and his eyes snapped to mine, the highlighter frozen over the page. “I mean… there’s another option, isn’t there?”

Logan dropped the highlighter, leaning back again. “There is?”

“I’m just saying,” I said, voice shakier than I wanted it to be in that moment. I took a sip of my coffee, shrugging. “What if we kept things low key… casual… just between us?” My eyes found his again. “It is what it is, and it’s not what it’s not. Right? No need for anyone to know.”

“Low key,” Logan repeated, like he was tasting the words, checking them for poison with his tongue. “So, friends… with benefits.”

I snorted. “If you want to be twenty-one about it, sure.”

Logan nodded, over and over, just a slight movement of his chin up and down as he considered it. I watched him as he stood, and I expected him to start pacing the office, but instead, he crossed it, closing his door and turning to face me.

His eyes swept over me, sparking a fire low in my stomach.

He wet his lips.

He took a step.

And then I was out of my chair, meeting him in the middle, the two of us crashing together like magnets.

His hands weaved into my hair when he captured my mouth with his own, both of us sighing on an inhale, moaning on the exhale, leaning into each other like we could somehow melt together completely. All the electricity I’d felt that night came back like a tidal wave, and I surrendered to the waves, letting them drown me. I wanted him to fill my lungs, to conquer every breath, to imprison me.

It was a kiss that told me we were both lying. We both wanted more.

But if it was a choice between this, or nothing at all?

There wasn’t a decision to make — not where I was concerned. It had already been made for us, without either of us having a say, without either of us having an ounce of control to throw this story in another direction.

We were inevitable, me and him.

And maybe we knew it from the start.

Logan backed me up to the desk, and when my ass hit it, I hiked both legs up, wrapping them around his waist and squeezing. He hissed, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth and releasing it with a pop, his hips rolling against mine. I broke the kiss to let out a gasp, and his mouth was on my neck in an instant, sucking and biting, my eyes rolling back at the contact.

He paused with his lips by my ear, breathing heavy. “I think this could work for me,” he whispered, running his tongue over my ear lobe. “This… friends agreement.” His hands squeezed where they held my hips, and the familiar pressure sent flashes of Saturday night barreling through my memory. I gasped, mouth still hanging open when he kissed my neck over to the opposite ear to whisper again. “What do you think?”

Against the voice inside me warning me not to, I ran my fingers through his hair, gripping those dark strands and pulling his lips back to mine.

That kiss was an answer.

That kiss was a lie.

And distantly, I realized that kiss might be the biggest mistake of my life.

About Kandi Steiner:

Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a diehard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer, and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.

THE DUGOUT, an all new standalone sports romance from USA Today Bestselling Author, Meghan Quinn, is available now!

THE DUGOUT by Meghan Quinn
Release Date:  September 19, 2019

Let me ask you a question:

If someone is vying for your spot on a team and just so happens to injure you during practice, would you believe it was on purpose?

Word around campus is . . . it was no accident.

That injury has cost me everything; my starting position, my junior year—and the draft. Now, I’m a senior fresh off recovery, struggling to find my groove, until the day I run into a nervous, fidgety, girl with freckles, in the dining hall.

They call Milly Potter The Baseball Whisperer, The Diamond Wizard, and The Epitome of All Knowledge. She believes in baseball. She breathes it. She’s the queen of an infamous dynasty, but no one actually knows who she really is, and she plans to keep it that way.

One mishap in the panini line, one miscommunication in the weight room, and many failed attempts at an apology equal up to one solid truth — Milly Potter never wants to speak to me again — no matter how good my forearms look.

Little do we both know, she’s about to become more than just my fairy ballmother.

——————————————————————————————————–

Order your copy of THE DUGOUT now or read for free in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US  |  Amazon AU  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon UK

Add to Goodreads

About Meghan Quinn: 

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Connect with Meghan:

Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Website  |  Amazon Author Page  |  Instagram  |  BookBub

Sign up for her mailing list to stay up-to-date with Meghan!

THE OPEN DOOR, a 1,001 Dark Nights novella in the Found Duet from New York Times Bestselling Author, Laurelin Paige, is available now! I’ve got an excerpt and the book trailer for you today!

A surprising invitation offers one couple the chance of a lifetime to spice things up.

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laurelin Paige comes a new story in her Found Duet series…

I knew JC was trouble the minute I laid eyes on him.

Breaking every rule in my club. I never forget how he made me feel that night. With all the women in that room, all those bodies on display, but his eyes were only on me.

Of course I married him. Now years have passed. Kids have been born. We’re still in love as always, and the sex is still fantastic…

And yet, it’s also not. Like many who’ve been married for a while, I long for the high intensity of those days of the past.

I’ve heard rumors for years about the Open Door. An ultra-exclusive voyeur’s paradise. A place to participate in—or watch—any kind of display you can imagine.

My husband’s eyes would still be on me. And maybe other eyes too. If that’s what we want.

So when an invitation to come play arrives, how could we turn it down?

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

——————————————————————————————————————-

Purchase your copy of THE OPEN DOOR today!

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU

Add THE OPEN DOOR to your Goodreads TBR!

——————————————————————————————————————-

BOOK TRAILER:

——————————————————————————————————————-

Praise for Laurelin Paige:

“Paige is unflinching in her depiction of a complicated relationship, and the results are explosive.” – Kirkus Reviews on First Touch

“Laurelin Paige writes an addictive mix of emotion and sexy that draws the reader in and doesn’t let go until long after the last page is read.” – K. Bromberg, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Driven Series

“Visceral, enticing, shining with white lies and dark truths, seductive twists and turns, and a love that takes your breath away.” – Katy Evans, New York Times bestselling Author, on First Touch

“Read it if you like hot, dominating, and tortured alpha asshole heroes who wear a suit 24/7 and like it rough in bed. Or read it because you like fantastic writing, which Laurelin Paige, no doubt, delivers here.” – Steamy Reads Blog on Dirty Filthy Rich Men

EXCERPT:

“Do you want to go to a kinky sex party?” she asked after I’d been quiet for too long.

Yes. I did.

But I didn’t want that to be the wrong answer.

But I really did want to go. The more I thought about it, the more the fantasy came to life in my head, the more my curiosity bloomed.

But what if we went and someone found out? Or someone we knew saw us there?

I threw myself back with a frustrated sigh. “This is stupid, isn’t it? I shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea.”

She scowled at me. “Why the hell not?”

“I’m a respectable woman. I’m a mother of three. I should be responsible.”

“That’s right, you are a respectable woman.” Her tone was fierce and energized, and I knew before she went on that she was launching into one of her typical passionate Alayna Pierce sermons. “And because you respect yourself, you should give yourself what you want. You should do something for yourself—and your husband. Something that isn’t at all about your identity as a mother. Is that really all you exist for now? To feed and clothe and protect and shuttle around these little humans? Yes, they’re important, but if you start acting like the only part of yourself that you’re obligated to is your motherly side, you’re not going to be any good for them. You need to be a complete person, whole and entire, and, by damn, that means going to a sex party and watching other people kink it up if that’s what fills your cup.”

She made it sound so easy. Was it really that easy?

Yeah. I was pretty sure it was.

I folded my arms and smiled at her. “Thank you. I knew that, but I needed to hear it.”

“And I need you to go to a party and tell me all the details after.”

I laughed. “I’m still getting up the nerve, but, for sure, if I go, I’ll tell you everything.”

It was a lie. I’d already made my decision. She was right―if I wanted to go, I should go, and I definitely wanted to go. Not to do anything, but just to check it out. See what all the fuss was about.

And I would tell Alayna about it, eventually.

First, I needed to tell my husband.

About Laurelin Paige:

USA Today and New York Times Bestselling Author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Connect With Laurelin:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter | Bookbub

PARK AVENUE PLAYER, a sexy standalone forbidden romance from New York Times Bestselling Authors Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland, is coming September 23, and I’m excited to share this exclusive excerpt with you today!

PARK AVENUE PLAYER

A Standalone Contemporary Romance

New York Times Bestselling Authors Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

Release Date: September 23, 2019

It started out like any normal day.

Then the fender bender happened.

The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous.  Too bad he was also a total jerk.  We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth.

Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways.  The insurance companies would have to figure things out.  I had a job interview to get to anyway—one I was excited about.

Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in.  The guy from the accident.

Whoops!

Yeah, so I didn’t get the position.

The problem was, I really wanted it. No, I needed it. Anything to get me out of my current career and back into working with kids.

So, even though Hollis LaCroix was as intimidating as he was devastatingly handsome, I went back to see him and begged for a chance.

To my surprise, he gave me a shot taking care of his troubled niece.

At least my attraction to him wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job or the strong bond Hailey and I formed.

But resisting the magnetic pull between us wasn’t that simple. (Then there was our little underwear game—don’t ask.)

We continued to flirt without crossing the line—until it finally happened.

This is the part of the story where we fall in love and live happily ever after, right?

Well, life has a way of throwing some major curveballs.

Ours was one I didn’t see coming.

————————————————————————————————————–

PRE-ORDER YOUR AUDIO OR PRINT COPY NOW!

Audio  |  Amazon print  |  Add to Goodreads 

Sign up for Penelope & Vi’s mailing list to be the first one notified when it goes live!

Copyright © 2019
By Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

EXCERPT:

“Would you like something to drink, Hollis?”

“No, thank you.”

He looked completely uncomfortable standing in my kitchen, so of course, I needed to make it worse. I tilted my head. “Did you touch any?”

“What?”

“My panties. Did you touch any while you were in the bathroom?”

He tugged at the collar of his polo and looked down the hall. “Where did she go? We need to get back on the road.”

Oh my God!

I’d been kidding around. But…holy shit…he had! I covered my mouth and cracked up. “You did, didn’t you! You perv!”
Hollis walked down the hall. “Hailey…let’s get going.”

I couldn’t get the smile off my face. Something about the thought of Hollis touching my underwear amused the hell out of me. I wished Hailey wasn’t around so I could ask him if he’d smelled them, too. That thought actually made me
snort.

Hollis came back to the kitchen. His face was stern. “We’ll see you on Monday.”

I walked them to the door. Hailey surprised me with a hug. “Your art stuff is awesome.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

I grinned at Hollis, who was impatiently holding the door open for his niece. “Your uncle thinks my stuff is awesome, too.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

————————————————————————————————————

Order your copy today!

Amazon US  |  Amazon International  |  Apple Books  |  Kobo  |  Nook

Add to Goodreads

EXCERPT:

“I heard you bought this place. I guess that means you’re sticking around,” Ben says, once he shuts his bike down.

“I guess that’s what it means,” I respond, keeping any hurt or anger I might still feel out of my voice.

Never show weakness to those that hurt you, I can’t forget that rule.

“You’ve been dodging my calls, Junie.”

I look at Ben, his eyes hid from me by his sunglasses. I hate that he still looks so good. There should be a law that when a man hurts you he should turn ugly as a mud fence overnight.

“No, I haven’t.”

“I’ve been calling you and you haven’t been answering,” he says, his arms crossed at his chest as he leans back on his bike.

“I know. But I haven’t been answering them, because I don’t have anything to say.”

“I’ve been trying to apologize, but every time I see you out, you disappear before I can talk to you.”

“Merely a coincidence,” I respond with a shrug.

“And the not answering my phone calls?”

“Sheriff, I appreciate the gesture and the messages, but honestly, we don’t have anything to say to one another.”

“Junie—”

“June. My family call me Junie, Sheriff. You and I are just… acquaintances.”

“Damn it, I know I fucked up, but if you would just let me explain—”

“There’s nothing to explain. You and I are both broken. I just didn’t realize yours. You were trying to force yourself to heal with me, when the woman you really wanted was out of reach and I was just using you to try and not feel at all.”

“Is that the way you want to play this, Juniper?”

“I’m not playing anything, Sheriff. I’m just stating the facts.”

BEARD WITH ME, an epic and breathtaking story from New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Penny Reid, is available now!

“This is Penny Reid at her finest.”  ~ L.B. Dunbar, author

No one is better at surviving than Scarlet St. Claire and making the best out of circumstances beyond her control is Scarlet’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, she’d be the last person on earth, hermitting like a pro, singing along to her CD Walkman, and dancing like no one is watching.

Scarlet is clever, Scarlet is careful, and Scarlet is smart . . . except when it comes to Billy Winston.

No one is better at fighting than Billy Winston and raging against his circumstances—because nothing is beyond his control—is Billy’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, he’d be the first person on earth to lead others to safety, overcome catastrophe, or die trying.

Billy is fearless, Billy is disciplined, and Billy is honorable . . . except when it comes to Scarlet St. Claire.

‘Beard With Me’ is the origin story of Billy Winston and Scarlet St. Claire (aka Claire McClure) and is just the beginning of their epic love story.

—————————————————————————————————

Download your copy today!

Amazon US  |  Amazon Worldwide  |  Apple Books  |  Google Play  |  Kobo  |  Nook  |  Amazon Print 

Add to Goodreads

Meet Penny Reid:

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  BookBub 

Sign up for her mailing list to stay up-to-date with Penny! 

THE BILLIONAIRE BOOK CLUB, a hilarious new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author, Max Monroe, is available now! Scroll down for an exclusive excerpt and Danielle’s 5 SMOOCHES review!

It’s going to take a strategic attack from more than a couple brilliant minds to win her affection, but luckily, I know exactly where to find the right guys for the job…

The Billionaire Book Club.

The Billionaire Book Club Questionnaire

#1: Who is your least favorite character in the book?

Me—Caplin Hawkins. I am an absolute idiot.

#2: Who is your favorite character?

Gorgeous, addictive, insanely challenging Ruby.

She’s smart, driven, self-confident, and so beautiful, she makes my chest ache.

#3 What is your biggest takeaway from the story?

Ruby Rockford and I are meant to be.

I just have to prove it to her.

For the entirety of my adult life, I’ve been content.

Content in my single lifestyle, content in my stressful-but-extremely-successful job as the main corporate counsel for almost every Fortune 500 company in North America, and content in my playful, spontaneous ways.

I had no idea it was possible for someone to change my mind.

The endless women and work are no longer enough, and just as Ruby Rockford told me—it’s about time I grow up.

It’s going to take a strategic attack from more than a couple brilliant minds to win her affection, but luckily, I know exactly where to find the right guys for the job…

The Billionaire Book Club.

It’s safe to say that I, Caplin Hawkins, the man most women would call The Ultimate Player, have finally met my match, and man oh man, has my end game changed.

I’m coming for you, Ruby.

And soon, you’ll be coming for me, too.

Download your copy now or read free in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US  |  Amazon Worldwide

Add to Goodreads

————————————————————————————————————

“…classic Max Monroe—a fabulous blend of sweet, sexy romance and side-splitting, laugh-yourself-silly, smiling ear-to-ear humor…”  ~Danielle, Red Cheeks Reads

Check out Danielle’s 5 SMOOCHES review!

Exclusive Excerpt!

Cap

Errands officially run and work and Hell-ary’s margs with the girls out of my fucking head, I settle into poker night with the guys.

This, right here, is exactly what I needed.

Just the guys, smoking cigars, and playing poker.

Smoke swirls above the green felt of the table as Thatcher Kelly knocks the ashy end off his cigar, puts it back in his mouth, and deals a round of cards.

I catch them under my hand as he throws them, placing them one by one into the palm of my other hand and studying what luck has dealt me.

This hand gives me a queen, a king, and a trio of shitty other random cards, but in my actual life, it’s a whole lot of really good shit.

I’m a happy guy with a job he loves, friends he can count on, and more money than I’ll ever know what to do with.

I don’t have to worry about making the mortgage every month, I don’t have a sordid past with demons to conquer and wounds to heal, and I get more pussy than the SPCA.

There are occasionally stressful situations that come with being the top corporate lawyer for nearly every muckety-muck in the country, but I thrive off the pressure. It feeds my need for adrenaline and puts a nice layer of padding on an already swollen ego.

Which is, frankly, just how I like it.

Confidence keeps my life balanced. If I weren’t confident in my abilities at work, I’d be spending this time poring over files instead of enjoying a game of poker with my rarely available, pussy-whipped friends. But I know myself, I know my tenacity, I know my willingness to work an all-nighter, and most importantly, I know a little free time for pleasure does the business part of my mind a whole lot of good.

Kline Brooks, Thatcher Kelly, Wes Lancaster, Milo Ives, Trent Turner, and Harrison Hughes sit around the table in front of me, arranging their cards and smoking their cigars in comfortable silence. Quincy Black and Theo Cruz couldn’t make it tonight—something about a baby and a new hip nightclub respectively—but as I understand it, they have a standing invitation to poker night as well.

When the last card is dealt, Thatcher Kelly, a numbers genius, friend, fellow billionaire, and client of mine, places his cigar in an ashtray and shoves back in his chair to make his massive frame look even bigger. Frankly, I’m the only one in this group of guys who even comes close to his size, but I’m still not a giant like him. At six foot three and just over two hundred pounds, I’m leaner, but I can still pretty much guarantee I’m the stronger of the two of us.

“Welcome, motherfluffers…to the official Thatcher Kelly Poker Night, trademark.”

I roll my eyes at his theatrics, and trust me, I’m not the only one. Thatch has been trying to get a poker night going for our group for months, and now that it’s finally happening, I’m not even a little surprised he’s treating it like the first night of the Olympics. “What happens here, stays here, locked away from the women, the men, the children in your lives. This is a sacred table, a sacred ritual, a sacred game, and you will respect it.”

“Jesus,” Kline Brooks, another client of mine, CEO of the popular dating app TapNext, and Thatch’s best friend in the whole world, mutters.

Thatch carries on, unaffected. “I know you have other things in your lives, and I’ll allow it, but from here forward, this biweekly game is to become your priority.”

“No,” Wes Lancaster, owner of the New York Mavericks and another one of Thatch’s best friends, remarks. “I’ll be here when and if I have time. Fuck your sanctity. And, for the sake of everyone’s sanity, let’s keep your text reminders of poker night down to one in the future.”

“You’re disrespectful and disappointing, Whitney. You should be happy I allowed you, a woman, to participate.” Thatch smirks. “This is supposed to be boys only.”

Wes holds up his middle finger and takes a puff on his cigar, and I jump in as a colorful referee.

“Relax, guys. I think what Thatch is trying to say is that he misses you guys. You’re all so busy with your pussy—”

“Hey!”

“Yo!”

“What the fuck?”

“I’d tread lightly…”

The chorus of responses is loud and overwhelming, but I shush them with a hand and continue. “That we never really get to hang out anymore. This is a chance to bond like men. To talk about things you can’t talk about at home. To relax and play poker and not give a fuck about anything else.”

“I’m pretty fucking relaxed at home,” Milo interjects, and unfortunately, the rest of the band of misfits nods in agreement.

“Well, fuck you guys very much,” I say with a sour laugh. “Do it for me, then.”

“Technically, they’re doing it for me,” Thatch corrects. “And I’d keep your voice down. If Cassie hears you say some of this shit, I’m not gonna hold her back for you.”

“Your wife is here?” I question with a groan. “I thought this was about the guys. A sacred ritual locked away from the women and children in your lives—”

“It is, it is,” Thatch interrupts with a sigh. “But Cassie wouldn’t let me come into the city to have poker night at our Manhattan apartment and leave her with the kids at the New Jersey house, so she got a sitter, and the girls are having a meeting in their space, all the way on the other side of the apartment. Don’t worry. This is the guys’ space. They know that.”

Manhattan apartment. New Jersey house. Talk about first world problems.

Thatcher Kelly has more houses and apartments than he has members of his family.

Not that I can’t say the same for myself, but that’s minor details.

I roll my eyes at his pathetic words. Cassie Kelly wouldn’t follow a directive given by her husband if it literally saved her life. She wears the pants in their relationship, and Thatch usually doesn’t deny it. Instead, he just presents her tits as evidence.

They’re great tits, I’ll give him that, but I play with my fair share of great fucking tits, and I do it without having someone holding my balls hostage in exchange.

“So, we should expect her to pop in within the next ten minutes, then,” I remark, and even Kline, the most adult of the entire group, snickers behind a hand.

“She’s not gonna pop in, okay?” Thatch booms. “Fluffing hell. It’s like you don’t trust—”

“Yoo-hoo!” his wife interrupts appropriately, peeking her head around the door of the smoky room. “You guys hungry, or are you too busy punching one another in the dick?”

Thatch sighs and closes his eyes as I give him a hard glare. The rest of the group breaks out in smiles. Thatch places his cards on the table and turns to look over his shoulder so he can meet his wife’s startlingly blue eyes.

“Honey, I thought we talked about this. Poker night needs separation from ladies’ night. Like church and fluffing state.”

“Well, excuse me,” Cassie replies pseudoangrily, opening the door fully to step inside, “for fluffing checking on the status of your big, ogre stomach. From here on out, I’ll let you starve.”

I bite my lip and lower my cards to the table before letting my head drop back as Thatch jumps up so they can bicker in closer proximity.

“Christ, woman! Did you get your annual exam today, or are you just raging for no reason?”

“Your exams are gonna be reduced down to annual if you don’t cool your fluffing jets.”

“My jets are cool!” Thatch shouts, and the rest of us groan as Cassie lunges forward and punches him…right in the dick.

Ah hell.

As annoyed as I am at him, my crotch throbs sympathetically.

Cassie storms off, and Thatch, hunched over in a ball of agony, turns back to the table. “I’ll be right back.”

Still almost fetal, he waddles through the opening at a surprisingly brisk pace.

As the door closes behind him, the other guys start to chatter.

“The rest of our lives, guys. It will be this way for the rest of our lives,” Kline mutters, and Wes laughs.

“Not if we cut him out of the friendship circle.”

Kline smirks but simultaneously rolls his eyes. “Like that’s possible. Try to cut that fucker out, and he’ll end up shadowing you during your colonoscopy.”

“I’m not scheduled for a colonoscopy,” Wes refutes with a laugh.

Kline clucks. “Ah, but you will be. That’s how ridiculous his power is. You won’t even know how it happened until he’s snapping on latex gloves and suiting up.”

Harrison Hughes, a longtime employee of my father’s media company HawCom and friend of ours, laughs. He’s a little older than I am, but I’ve known him long enough that it doesn’t feel like there was a time when we weren’t friends. He also played rugby with Wes, Kline, and Thatch for a while, and he still throws his old, dilapidated ass into a game in the park every now and then. But, as the only single guy left other than Theo and me, I’m fairly certain he does it all just so he has a way to impress the ladies. “Wait. He’s the doctor now? What the fuck?”

Kline shrugs and chuckles. “Trust me. After this many years of friendship, I don’t put anything past that guy.”

Wes nods begrudgingly. “He’s surprisingly adept at making just about anything possible. That’s how Lexi ended up interning for fucking Hugo Clouse. She’s a teenager, and he’s basically the Wolf of fucking Wall Street, without the cocaine and hookers.”

I laugh. “Geez. Where’s the fun in that?”

They all ignore me.

“How’s she liking it?” Kline asks.

“All those numbers?” Wes questions with a laugh. “She loves it. Pretty sure she’s going to be managing my hedge fund by the time she’s twenty.” Kline smiles. “Win’s feeling the blues, though. Says her baby is growing up too fast.”

Milo smiles, even though I’m not sure he’s ever met Wes’s stepdaughter, and I don’t miss the pathetic fucking longing that goes with it. The bastard’s been a fucking goner since he got involved with his best friend Evan’s little sister. Now, he’s engaged to be married and apparently ready to add some mini-Milos into the mix.

Wait a minute…

“Oh God,” I groan at him, throwing my head back dramatically. “Don’t tell me Maybe is pregnant already.”

“Is she?” Trent asks, his inflection going noticeably upward at the end. Because, unlike me, he’s excited.

Love-sick fools. The whole lot of ’em.

“No,” Milo says with a little smile. “I’m just thinking about the day she will be.”

“Ugh,” I groan, miming sticking a finger down my throat. “First of all, you just got en-fucking-gaged, you bastard. And secondly, are we really talking about women and babies during poker night? And not, like, the good part of women, like how well their pretty mouths can wrap around our cocks. But how lovely they are?”

Trent laughs. “Yeah, Cap. If you stopped sleeping your way through the entire city, you might find out why.”

I scoff. “Fuck that. I’m not like you guys. I like a plethora of pussy, and I like it often. I’m not gonna tie myself to one chick for the sake of…what? Insanity?”

Trent shakes his head, while Milo smiles behind his drink, the fucker. They’re absolutely convinced I’ll be just like them one day, twiddling my dick while some high-class chick shops with my money.

But they don’t know me like they think they do. I like my life the way it is. Full of freedom and fucking and anything else I want to do.

My time is my own, and my body, a free agent.

I get to sample the best of the best, over and over if I want or just take a taste. I have my cake, and I eat it too, and fuck anyone who thinks just because it’s the way of the world, I need to change my ways.

In fact, after today, there’s a new pussy on the horizon, new fun to be had.

The pretty blonde with the hot body at the library who apparently likes to listen to audiobooks that are reminiscent of some of sixteen-year-old Cap’s favorite pornos.

Goddamn, she was something. A petite little bombshell whose choice in listening pleasure has me more than intrigued.

She didn’t give me her name, but it doesn’t matter. I am a man who thrives off a good challenge, and I already know my future romp with her will be a better time than any of these fuckers has ever had.

And hell, who doesn’t love a good naughty librarian fantasy?

Certainly not me.

That pretty little librarian doesn’t know it yet, but she’s the new chase.

My new mission.

And I won’t stop until I’ve tasted her and fucked these guys and their monogamy right out of my damn head.

About Max Monroe:

A secret duo of romance authors team up under the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you sexy, laugh-out-loud reads.

Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of more than ten contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.