Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
I’m engaged to a monster. One who keeps me on a very short leash. I know my days are numbered before I can call this man my husband, but I don’t mind. Because I know I have to do this. I signed up for this.
Until I meet Ledger Thorne. In the clandestine corners of our world, a forbidden bond blooms between us, fueled by a longing too dangerous to name.
It’s completely sinful the way he stares at me.
The way he breathes my name.
The way he burns for me too.
To want Ledger is dangerous. A danger I can’t have any part of.
In a world where every desire is a betrayal, I am left grappling with the impossibility of our love. To resist him is to defy my very nature, but to surrender is to risk everything I hold dear. And so, I’m left to navigate the treacherous waters of forbidden passion, torn between duty and the insatiable hunger for the one I cannot have.
Easier said than done.
CLOSE YOUR EYES is an epic love-story between a woman promised to another, and the magnetic man who ignites her soul.
To want is a sin.
To need a transgression.
But to touch is a fate more severe than death itself.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
Ledger
Forty-Five Days Earlier
“Thanks for swooping in like our knight in shining security armor,” I say to Dean Maddox, the owner of Maddox Security. His company is renowned for being the best, and here at Club Greed, we expect the best.
“Of course. You, Roman, and Devereaux are like brothers to me,” Dean says, giving my fist a bump.
Club Greed is a premium adult club where we cater to the wealthy. Its opulent furnishings, lavish decor, and sumptuous ambiance create an atmosphere of luxury and indulgence unrivaled in Saint Pierce. Devereaux Huxley established the club years ago, cultivating its clientele into the prestigious assembly it is today. Among its ranks are top-tier businessmen, influential politicians, and the crème de la crème of society's elite.
Several months ago, he faced a wave of negative publicity when the Greedy Girls, the club's female staff, began turning up dead. The sinister actions of a serial killer casted a dark shadow over Saint Pierce, resulting in a downturn in business. It was during this time that Dev met Chloe, she had gone undercover, assuming the identity of a Greedy Girl in a plot to unravel the mystery.
Dean’s eyes dart around the dimly-lit club as he sketches out an updated security plan.
With last year's debacle with the Greedy Girls and our ex-security-chief-gone-wrong, we decided Dean was our best bet to handle the security here. Now I'm the club's impromptu captain while my buddy Dev, who owns the club, handles preparing for the baby on the way. His girl, Chloe’s pregnant and I couldn’t be happier for the both of them. Life's an unpredictable rollercoaster, right?
Dean's gaze fixates on my twin brother, Roman, as he strolls through the club with Greer Huxley, Dev's sister, on his arm. An unspoken question lingers in the air, and I clarify, "Devereaux's sister."
Dean raises a brow as he probes, "How does Dev feel about them dating?"
"They're not actually dating," I disclose. "It's fake to help Greer's professional image. Roman, though, has always had a thing for her. Maybe this is the push he needs to finally man up to his feelings."
Dean chuckles lightly. “Doesn’t look like they’re faking anything. Reminds me of my best friend, Xavier Stone. He’s been in love with his wife since they were kids. They had a rough time getting together, but now they’re happily in love.”
I cross my arms. “Roman’s too afraid to fuck up their friendship, but they’re bound to end up together. One day. I’m willing to bet money on it.”
Dean nods, focusing back on the file in his hands. “I’ve got Ranger Cole coming by to set up a team of men he trusts with his life. He’ll put together a schedule for the men, and all you need to do is just sit back and trust me.”
I shake his hand. “That’s one thing I can do.”
Dean rubs a hand over his chin. “What about you? Are you in love?”
I shake my head with a laugh. “Never. I don’t really think I’m capable of it. Never really met anyone who has kept my interest for more than five minutes.”
“All it takes is that one special girl.”
As Dean goes over the security plan, an alarm pierces through the air. Panic flits through my veins as I ask Adele, my assistant manager, what’s going on through the walkie. Her voice crackles through the walkie, announcing an attack in the Satellite Room.
The ambient flare of the club's lights illuminates the surroundings as the music gracefully comes to a halt. Within the lobby area adjacent to the bar, a sparse gathering of individuals observes the scene.
Dean and I make our way to the Satellite Room.
I enter the room, and the bouncers I've enlisted to oversee the club until Dean arranges for a more permanent team encircle a woman seated on a plush couch.
Her face is shrouded by a blanket of brown hair, and I step closer to see exactly what happened. Adele sits next to her, rubbing her back.
“What happened here?” I ask, demanding attention.
Adele gazes her blue eyes up at me, and shakes her head. Hector steps up closer, and pulls me aside.
“We’re still trying to figure out exactly what happened…” Before he can finish his sentence, a man adorned in an opulent suit, worth more money than this club itself, hastily enters the room.
Lazarus Delgado, Bane Delgado’s cousin and right-hand man.
Bane Delgado is the most infamous crime boss in Saint Pierce, the name that sends shivers down the spine of anyone familiar with the city's underworld. Known for his ruthless tactics and unrelenting grip on the organized crime scene, Delgado's reputation is steeped in fear and violence. Currently awaiting trial, he's a man whose sinister deeds and merciless nature are evident in every story whispered about him. Any way you slice it, Bane Delgado is the epitome of evil, a figure whose presence casts a dark shadow over Saint Pierce.