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Category: Exclusively Yours

  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 26

     

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 26


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                  
    Olivia’s POV 
    “You’re màd,” I told him, shaking my head disapprovingly, and turned to leave his room.
    Riccardo laughed before taking hold of my wrist, pinning me to the nearby wall with his signature sinister smirk. “Màdly in love with you.”
    As I tried to pull my wrist from his grip, he replaced his hands on my waist, and I leaned back, trying to avoid any further advances.
    “Let go.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “I want you to.”
    “How can I let go of you? It’s not every day I get the opportunity to touch you without you being a bràt.” With a swift move, he pecked my neck, and a shudder ran through my veins. “God, you have no idea how much I love the way you react to my touch. I love the way you’re affected by it, how much effect it has on you. I just love it.”
    He doesn’t have an effect on me.
    Why would a person like him have an effect on me?
    Impossible.
    “You are delusional,” I retorted, more calmly than I intended.
    He chuckled, then slowly tilted his head forward, lowering his lips to touch mine. My eyes fell to his lips, inching closer and closer, and just when I thought he would kiss me, my lids dropped, the anticipation building up in me.
    My fists clenched his shirt tightly while my eyes remained closed, my patience running thin. I opened my eyes only to see him staring down at me with a smug and overly self-satisfied grin.
    No matter how much I wanted to push him away for toying with my feelings, I couldn’t, not when he was staring at me with so much admiration, adoration, and so much love. “See? You do love my kisses.”
    Do I?
    I opened my mouth to refuse, to deny, to do anything to convince him otherwise, but my tongue seemed tied in a knot. My hands also seemed to have a mind of their own as they lifted up, caressing Riccardo’s face.
    The absolute shock on his face was definitely less than the one I was feeling, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop. “So, what if I do? It is not bad. You’re my husband, aren’t you?”
    The bewilderment that flashed through Riccardo’s eyes couldn’t be hidden on his face or in his voice. “Sunshine, you just called me your husband.”
    Seeing him this… taken aback is kind of cute because he is always the one taking me by surprise.
    My heart raced like it does every time he calls me by that nickname. My fingers smoothed the wrinkle on his black shirt, and I flattened my palm against the rippling muscles of his hard chest. “Aren’t you? We got married, didn’t we?”
    Oh, my God!
    Am I flirting with him?
    Why am I flirting with him?
    He should disgúst me.
    Why isn’t he disgústing me?!
    “We did. We did get married. I’m your husband and you’re my wife,” Riccardo replied, more to himself than to me, as if he was trying to convince himself that he is truly my husband. His grasp on my waist then tightened as he drew me impossibly closer to him, closing the non-existent distance between us.
    The proximity is suffocatingly good yet bàd at the same time; good because the fresh scent of his soap still lingered in the air around him and on his body, bàd because I can’t breathe whenever we are this close to each other. His lips brushed against mine so gently I barely felt it.
    “You are my wife,” he repeated again, to himself.
    I am.
    I’m married to him and no matter how much I try to deny it, I simply can’t. I also can’t stop the amount of nàsty and siñful thoughts running through my head about how he will look above me, completely nakéd, while he… takes my ability to walk.
    His gaze stayed on my lips longer than necessary, his eyes darkening with contemplation on whether or not he should do what his mind was telling him before his lips came crashing down on mine, hard and rough, without mercy.
    The kiss was absolutely merciless, savage, and literally and figuratively breathtaking. One of his strong hands rode up my waist, going under my crop top and squeezing my bare skin, I m0@ned, and he swallowed it.
    Suddenly, he withdrew his lips and licked it. His other hand that wasn’t under my crop top brushed harshly against my bottom lip, then he leaned in and bit it. I was way too breathless and on cloud nine to feel whatever pain that came with the bite.
    “Next time you go for a run, let me know. I’d love to join,” he said.
    I wanted to retort, ‘I’d rather you join me in a different kind of activity, like one that involves the bed,’ but I settled for, “I prefer running alone.”
    “You’re not alone.” His fingers tenderly stroked my stomach, setting off a whirlwind of butterflies. “I’m with you.”
    His words, touch, gaze, and that little smile only made the butterflies more frenzied. 
    How many girlfriends had he had to become such a smooth talker?
    “Be with yourself,” I mentally slapped myself for that childish comeback.
    “Why would I when you’re here with me?” His question was clearly rhetorical, leaving me silent, searching for a retort other than ‘I hàte you,’ but finding none. “You’re cute when speechless.”
    I shot him an icy glare and snapped, “Don’t call me cute.”
    “Cute. You’re so adorable.” He further aggravated me by pinching my cheeks and using a baby voice. “So cute.”
    Why did I find him attractive again?
    I frowned while Riccardo laughed at me.
    “Come on, smile.”
    “No.”
    A minute later, I found myself running away from his tickles, our laughter filling the room. As I tried to evade him by circling the sofa in the living room, he caught me and playfully pushed me down before resuming his assàult.
    “See, now you’re laughing,” Riccardo, my husband, said as he tickled me, hovering above.
    I squirmed beneath him, trying and failing to stop his relentless assault. “S-s-s-stop,” I laughed hysterically. “I-I-I can’t breathe.”
    He stopped, then began peppering kisses on my head and every reachable spot, and I let him, not because I had no choice, but because I wanted to.
    Each nanosecond his lips touched my head and neck, the thump thump thump in my heart accelerated. Just as it was about to intensify, a female voice called out Riccardo’s name. He got up, revealing a blonde girl my age, her hands spread wide with a big smile on her face.
    “Asia!” Riccardo went to her, lifting her off the floor and spinning around, both of them laughing.
    I don’t like her.
    I sat up, watching them hug like long-lost family, forcing myself not to roll my eyes.
    Riccardo broke the hug, “Sunshine, this is Asia, my childhood friend. Asia, this is Olivia, my beautiful wife and the mother of my future kids.”
    I shouldn’t have felt proud, but I was, proud as a peacock. The pride was so overwhelming that I didn’t even have to fake a smile as I stood and extended my hand to her.
    She smiled, “Hi. You’re very pretty.”
    “I know,” I replied before I could stop myself, smiling back.
    “Excuse me for a second,” Riccardo said, then went upstairs.
    As soon as he was out of sight, the overly smiling woman’s expression turned scornful. “Listen, you little thing. I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to get lost from Ricky’s life. He’s mine.”
    “Call me a ‘thing’ one more time and your hair will turn red.”
    “What, will you dye it?”
    “Yeah. I will, with your blôod.”
    Her scorn faltered, “Did you just threatén to make me bleéd from my head?”
    “No. I just told you what will happen if you pass your boundaries, Africa.”
    “It’s Asia.”
    Who cares?
    “Whatever you say, Africa,” I muttered loud enough for her to hear. “This is your first time in my house. What would you like? Water, poisôn, juice, wine?” When she opened her mouth to reply, I waved a dismissive hand in the air, laughing. “Just joking. I wouldn’t serve you to save my life.”
    We glared at each other with so much hatréd, as if we were archenémies from the past. As soon as we heard Riccardo’s footsteps approaching, we forced smiles on our faces.
    “Sorry, Asia. I had to make a call,” he said to her with one of his irresistible dimpled smiles before facing me. “What would you like for breakfast, sunshine?”
    For her to leave.
    “I don’t know, maybe toast and coffee. You?” 
    “Same,” he beamed at me. “What about you, Asia?”
    “Oh. Do you have salad?”
    “No. You still eat salad?”
    “Well, yeah. I’m a model, are you forgetting?”
    “How can I forget? Your pictures are in every magazine,” Riccardo said as he intertwined our fingers together, his eyes on her but his hand on me.
    I smirked, staring down at our interlaced fingers and then at her before mouthing, “Is he really yours?”
                                  ✯✯✯✯
    After ten long hours, she finally decided to leave. Apparently, she has an early morning shoot tomorrow, which is why she’s here in America, New York from Poland.
    She’s one héll of an actress. That’s what she should have been instead of a model. She put on an incredible act of liking me and complimenting me in front of Riccardo even after I left them to prepare my breakfast.
    Of course, I didn’t go back to them. I did everything I could to kíll time so I wouldn’t kíll her instead. Luckily, I had Dahlia, who is kind of getting used to me, and apart from her, the atmosphere and surroundings were serene and calming.
    I hàte Riccardo, but I love his choice. Here is peaceful and quiet, no cars zooming back and forth, no pollution in the air, no honking and honking, just peaceful quietness.
    “I was thinking I should make pasta for dinner, what do you think?” Riccardo came to my room to ask me after the human had left.
    “No. I ordered pizza.”
    “Junk food isn’t good. Let me cook.”
    Before I could bite down on my tongue, I blurted out, “Do I look like your model friend? I can and will eat whatever I want whenever I want. Leave.”
    “Did I do something?”
    Yeah. Having a bítch like her as a friend.
    I had only met his two best friends once, at the reception party after the wedding, and I liked them. They’re funny in their own way. But liking Africa would take a while, and by a while, I mean never.
    “Go away.”
    “Fine,” he said and left.
    Fine!
    Good riddance, who the héck names their child after a f+cking continent?!
    TBC 📖✍️
  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 26

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 26

     

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 26


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                  
    Olivia’s POV 
    “You’re màd,” I told him, shaking my head disapprovingly, and turned to leave his room.
    Riccardo laughed before taking hold of my wrist, pinning me to the nearby wall with his signature sinister smirk. “Màdly in love with you.”
    As I tried to pull my wrist from his grip, he replaced his hands on my waist, and I leaned back, trying to avoid any further advances.
    “Let go.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “I want you to.”
    “How can I let go of you? It’s not every day I get the opportunity to touch you without you being a bràt.” With a swift move, he pecked my neck, and a shudder ran through my veins. “God, you have no idea how much I love the way you react to my touch. I love the way you’re affected by it, how much effect it has on you. I just love it.”
    He doesn’t have an effect on me.
    Why would a person like him have an effect on me?
    Impossible.
    “You are delusional,” I retorted, more calmly than I intended.
    He chuckled, then slowly tilted his head forward, lowering his lips to touch mine. My eyes fell to his lips, inching closer and closer, and just when I thought he would kiss me, my lids dropped, the anticipation building up in me.
    My fists clenched his shirt tightly while my eyes remained closed, my patience running thin. I opened my eyes only to see him staring down at me with a smug and overly self-satisfied grin.
    No matter how much I wanted to push him away for toying with my feelings, I couldn’t, not when he was staring at me with so much admiration, adoration, and so much love. “See? You do love my kisses.”
    Do I?
    I opened my mouth to refuse, to deny, to do anything to convince him otherwise, but my tongue seemed tied in a knot. My hands also seemed to have a mind of their own as they lifted up, caressing Riccardo’s face.
    The absolute shock on his face was definitely less than the one I was feeling, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop. “So, what if I do? It is not bad. You’re my husband, aren’t you?”
    The bewilderment that flashed through Riccardo’s eyes couldn’t be hidden on his face or in his voice. “Sunshine, you just called me your husband.”
    Seeing him this… taken aback is kind of cute because he is always the one taking me by surprise.
    My heart raced like it does every time he calls me by that nickname. My fingers smoothed the wrinkle on his black shirt, and I flattened my palm against the rippling muscles of his hard chest. “Aren’t you? We got married, didn’t we?”
    Oh, my God!
    Am I flirting with him?
    Why am I flirting with him?
    He should disgúst me.
    Why isn’t he disgústing me?!
    “We did. We did get married. I’m your husband and you’re my wife,” Riccardo replied, more to himself than to me, as if he was trying to convince himself that he is truly my husband. His grasp on my waist then tightened as he drew me impossibly closer to him, closing the non-existent distance between us.
    The proximity is suffocatingly good yet bàd at the same time; good because the fresh scent of his soap still lingered in the air around him and on his body, bàd because I can’t breathe whenever we are this close to each other. His lips brushed against mine so gently I barely felt it.
    “You are my wife,” he repeated again, to himself.
    I am.
    I’m married to him and no matter how much I try to deny it, I simply can’t. I also can’t stop the amount of nàsty and siñful thoughts running through my head about how he will look above me, completely nakéd, while he… takes my ability to walk.
    His gaze stayed on my lips longer than necessary, his eyes darkening with contemplation on whether or not he should do what his mind was telling him before his lips came crashing down on mine, hard and rough, without mercy.
    The kiss was absolutely merciless, savage, and literally and figuratively breathtaking. One of his strong hands rode up my waist, going under my crop top and squeezing my bare skin, I m0@ned, and he swallowed it.
    Suddenly, he withdrew his lips and licked it. His other hand that wasn’t under my crop top brushed harshly against my bottom lip, then he leaned in and bit it. I was way too breathless and on cloud nine to feel whatever pain that came with the bite.
    “Next time you go for a run, let me know. I’d love to join,” he said.
    I wanted to retort, ‘I’d rather you join me in a different kind of activity, like one that involves the bed,’ but I settled for, “I prefer running alone.”
    “You’re not alone.” His fingers tenderly stroked my stomach, setting off a whirlwind of butterflies. “I’m with you.”
    His words, touch, gaze, and that little smile only made the butterflies more frenzied. 
    How many girlfriends had he had to become such a smooth talker?
    “Be with yourself,” I mentally slapped myself for that childish comeback.
    “Why would I when you’re here with me?” His question was clearly rhetorical, leaving me silent, searching for a retort other than ‘I hàte you,’ but finding none. “You’re cute when speechless.”
    I shot him an icy glare and snapped, “Don’t call me cute.”
    “Cute. You’re so adorable.” He further aggravated me by pinching my cheeks and using a baby voice. “So cute.”
    Why did I find him attractive again?
    I frowned while Riccardo laughed at me.
    “Come on, smile.”
    “No.”
    A minute later, I found myself running away from his tickles, our laughter filling the room. As I tried to evade him by circling the sofa in the living room, he caught me and playfully pushed me down before resuming his assàult.
    “See, now you’re laughing,” Riccardo, my husband, said as he tickled me, hovering above.
    I squirmed beneath him, trying and failing to stop his relentless assault. “S-s-s-stop,” I laughed hysterically. “I-I-I can’t breathe.”
    He stopped, then began peppering kisses on my head and every reachable spot, and I let him, not because I had no choice, but because I wanted to.
    Each nanosecond his lips touched my head and neck, the thump thump thump in my heart accelerated. Just as it was about to intensify, a female voice called out Riccardo’s name. He got up, revealing a blonde girl my age, her hands spread wide with a big smile on her face.
    “Asia!” Riccardo went to her, lifting her off the floor and spinning around, both of them laughing.
    I don’t like her.
    I sat up, watching them hug like long-lost family, forcing myself not to roll my eyes.
    Riccardo broke the hug, “Sunshine, this is Asia, my childhood friend. Asia, this is Olivia, my beautiful wife and the mother of my future kids.”
    I shouldn’t have felt proud, but I was, proud as a peacock. The pride was so overwhelming that I didn’t even have to fake a smile as I stood and extended my hand to her.
    She smiled, “Hi. You’re very pretty.”
    “I know,” I replied before I could stop myself, smiling back.
    “Excuse me for a second,” Riccardo said, then went upstairs.
    As soon as he was out of sight, the overly smiling woman’s expression turned scornful. “Listen, you little thing. I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to get lost from Ricky’s life. He’s mine.”
    “Call me a ‘thing’ one more time and your hair will turn red.”
    “What, will you dye it?”
    “Yeah. I will, with your blôod.”
    Her scorn faltered, “Did you just threatén to make me bleéd from my head?”
    “No. I just told you what will happen if you pass your boundaries, Africa.”
    “It’s Asia.”
    Who cares?
    “Whatever you say, Africa,” I muttered loud enough for her to hear. “This is your first time in my house. What would you like? Water, poisôn, juice, wine?” When she opened her mouth to reply, I waved a dismissive hand in the air, laughing. “Just joking. I wouldn’t serve you to save my life.”
    We glared at each other with so much hatréd, as if we were archenémies from the past. As soon as we heard Riccardo’s footsteps approaching, we forced smiles on our faces.
    “Sorry, Asia. I had to make a call,” he said to her with one of his irresistible dimpled smiles before facing me. “What would you like for breakfast, sunshine?”
    For her to leave.
    “I don’t know, maybe toast and coffee. You?” 
    “Same,” he beamed at me. “What about you, Asia?”
    “Oh. Do you have salad?”
    “No. You still eat salad?”
    “Well, yeah. I’m a model, are you forgetting?”
    “How can I forget? Your pictures are in every magazine,” Riccardo said as he intertwined our fingers together, his eyes on her but his hand on me.
    I smirked, staring down at our interlaced fingers and then at her before mouthing, “Is he really yours?”
                                  ✯✯✯✯
    After ten long hours, she finally decided to leave. Apparently, she has an early morning shoot tomorrow, which is why she’s here in America, New York from Poland.
    She’s one héll of an actress. That’s what she should have been instead of a model. She put on an incredible act of liking me and complimenting me in front of Riccardo even after I left them to prepare my breakfast.
    Of course, I didn’t go back to them. I did everything I could to kíll time so I wouldn’t kíll her instead. Luckily, I had Dahlia, who is kind of getting used to me, and apart from her, the atmosphere and surroundings were serene and calming.
    I hàte Riccardo, but I love his choice. Here is peaceful and quiet, no cars zooming back and forth, no pollution in the air, no honking and honking, just peaceful quietness.
    “I was thinking I should make pasta for dinner, what do you think?” Riccardo came to my room to ask me after the human had left.
    “No. I ordered pizza.”
    “Junk food isn’t good. Let me cook.”
    Before I could bite down on my tongue, I blurted out, “Do I look like your model friend? I can and will eat whatever I want whenever I want. Leave.”
    “Did I do something?”
    Yeah. Having a bítch like her as a friend.
    I had only met his two best friends once, at the reception party after the wedding, and I liked them. They’re funny in their own way. But liking Africa would take a while, and by a while, I mean never.
    “Go away.”
    “Fine,” he said and left.
    Fine!
    Good riddance, who the héck names their child after a f+cking continent?!
    TBC 📖✍️
  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 21

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 21

     

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 21


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
                                  
    Olivia’s POV 
    I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the annoying ding ringing repeatedly in my head. I tossed and turned on the bed, hoping the movement would drown out the noise, but it continued ringing persistently.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Frustrated, I rolled onto my stomach and screamed into my pillow, kicking my feet against the bed. I lifted my head to check the time on my digital clock and noticed it was only 2:20 am.
    Sitting up, I reached for the source of the incessant noise – my phone. My eyes widened as they met the screen, flooded with countless notifications. I tapped one, my mouth falling open as I read the headline.
    ~ BREAKING NEWS: RICCARDO TORRENCE HAS A NEW GIRL IN HIS NET.
    The article included a picture of Riccardo and me kissing against a sunset backdrop.
    My entire body went cold and a shudder ran through me, whether from the sudden chill in the room or from the flashback of the kiss, I couldn’t tell. A lump formed in my throat, and anxiety slowly crept in.
    I tapped on another notification.
    ~ HEADLINE NEWS: IS THIS REAL OR ARE WE DREAMING? RICCARDO TORRENCE WITH ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!!
    ~ NEWS NEWS: RICCARDO TORRENCE’S NEW TOY?
    ~ BREAKING HEADLINES: WHO IS SHE?!
    As I scrolled through article after article, my body grew hot, sweat forming despite the air conditioning. I wet my lips and clicked on one more headline.
    ~ IS THIS ANOTHER SHORT-TERM HOOK-UP FOR RICCARDO TORRENCE?
    I let out a breath before diving into the article. The words seemed to stretch out, but the intensity of my body’s heat only grew.
    – Yesterday, at exactly 4:30 pm, Riccardo was seen at a downtown convenience store kissing another girl. Who is she? What’s their relationship? And the most important question, why does he seem so whipped with her?
    I flinched as my ringtone shattered the silence of my room. I sighed and tapped the answer icon.
    “Hey, City,” I muttered, standing up and walking to the window.
    She must have heard and seen the news, but that was no surprise. Felicity always kept up-to-date with both entertainment and world news.
    “Hi, babe. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? How are you going to handle your newfound fame?”
    I scoffed, rolling my eyes in annoyance as I sat on the windowsill. “I don’t know how to answer that question.”
    She laughed. “So you and Riccardo were on a date yesterday? You didn’t tell me!”
    “We weren’t on a date. We went to see his parents.”
    “Oh.” Felicity drawled teasingly. “How was it? Did they treat you well? If they didn’t, I’ll go there right now and give them a piece of my mind.”
    I turned the knob on the window and pushed it open, letting the fresh air brush against my face. I nodded, biting the inside of my mouth. “There’s no need for that. His parents were really nice.”
    “I still can’t believe you’re dating THE Riccardo Torrence. It’s unbelievable.”
    “Why is it? Riccardo is human and so am I. Why is it so unbelievable?” 
    “Livvie, don’t get me wrong. You know I love you, but you have to admit that your relationship with Riccardo was unexpected and unbelievable. I mean, you’re engaged to marry him. This is big!” 
    I let my eyes drop to my fingers, which met with the glistening band around my ring finger. The diamond sat on the band, shining in the dark room. I flexed my fingers, still trying to get used to the feeling of the ring around it. 
    “Yes, you could say that. How am I going to go out tomorrow?” 
    “The same way you always do, with your legs or car. But I don’t suggest you go out tomorrow. Riccardo’s fans, which are mostly female fans, are cràzy!” 
    “I know, but that doesn’t mean that I should stay locked up at home.” 
    I need to go see Aunt DeeDee even more now that this news is spreading like wildfire. I wanted to tell her and the remaining family members on my terms, but it came out this way. I’m one hundred percent sure that the síck bastàrd, Riccardo, is responsible for it. 
    “The picture is a good one, though. The paparazzi really captured the moment. It was cute.” 
    I’ll kíll that pest.
    I will kíll him.
    “Yeah, whatever. I don’t want this fame, and I’m getting it.” 
    “Well, it’s the perk of being Riccardo Torrence’s fiancée.” My best friend chimed happily. “Let’s meet later. Axel has been acting wéird.” 
    He has?
    I didn’t notice.
    We haven’t talked in two days, and the last time we did speak was over the phone, and he sounded okay to me. 
    “You sure?” I tilted my head, confused and worried. 
    “Yep.” 
    “Alright. We’ll see today. Noon?” 
    “Alright. At his office?” 
    “Yeah.” 
    “Okay, Ms. Torrence. See you.” 
    Before I could say anything, she hung up. I shook my head, stood up, and exited the room. The room was pitch-black, completely void of light as I strolled over to the kitchen to quench the fire inside of me. 
    The light from the refrigerator dimmed the room briefly when I opened it to take out a bottle of water, and darkness returned to the surroundings after I closed it. After unscrewing the cap of the water bottle, I gulped down the amount I wanted and rested on the counter, taking my phone from the countertop. 
    I scrolled through the contacts on my phone and tapped the one I wanted to talk to. A phone rang, echoing through the walls of the dark room. 
    “W-who is that?” I asked, terrified. My breathing unsteady. 
    A rush of pañic and anxiéty washed over me, and the thumping of my heart could be heard from miles away. Despite my attempts to turn the flashlight on my phone on, it seemed to be frozen. 
    “I said, who are you?” 
    A presence was right in the room with me. I could feel it. I could feel it staring into my soul and feeding on my feàr. I gulped, a shiver running down my spine, and I shuddered. The footsteps of the person slowly, so slowly approached me, and the room became constricting. 
    Step.
    Step.
    Step.
    Step.
    My heart raced fast, and yet I couldn’t breathe. The same ringtone broke through the air again, and when the person brought it to their face, I froze, angér seeping into my blood as the light from the phone shone on his face. 
    “Hi, sunshine.” Riccardo’s voice came out dark, deep, and rough. “Why are you calling me this early in the morning?” 
    “What’s wrong with you?! Why the héll did you break into my house?!” 
    “Language.” He dared to tell me to watch my tongue after scaring me nearly half to déath. 
    I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I took two or three steps towards him. “You don’t get to tell me that. Riccardo, I’ve already told you that I’ll say, do, and wear whatever the héll I want, and you won’t do a dàmn thing about it. Get it into your thick skull. Get out the same way you came in. Just get the fúck out of my house and my life!” 
    In a second, my back slamméd hard against the wall. Pàin ran down my back, and it immediately brought tears to my eyes. His hands held both of my hands above my head on the wall, while the other one stayed on my waist, gripping it tight enough to inflict pàin. 
    In the dark, Riccardo’s figure seemed to tower over me even more. It was like he grew ten inches taller in a minute. His tall, strong body pressed mine against the wall and his dark eyes pierced into mine with so much fúry, so much angér.
    I couldn’t see any of his facial expressions, but his eyes shone in the dark, and it was more than enough to show me that he didn’t like what I said one bit. 
    A psychopathíc chuckle broke out of his mouth, close to my ear. “First thing you need to know is that I will never leave you alone. Never in this life. You are mine. The second thing you also need to know is that when I say something, you listen and don’t be a bràt. You don’t get to defy my words, Olivia.” His voice was low, so low I could barely hear it. It was maniacàl, making me tremble. “Understood?” 
    I nodded my head, words refusing to leave my mouth. My air passage was blocked by something, and I was close to suffocating. 
    “Use your pretty little mouth that you have a knack for running.” He demanded, tightening his grip on my wrists. “Do you understand, Olivia?” 
    “Y-yes,” I managed to choke out. 
    His hand left my waist for a second, and the lights turned on. I looked up, and he was smiling down at me, his dimples and all. I blinked once, twice, thrice to see if my eyes were seeing what they were seeing. 
    What the héck is happening? 
    “I must say, you look so ravishing in this night dress,” his eyes ran down my body, a dark gleam shining in them. “Red is definitely your color,” he remarked, still enjoying letting his eyes linger on my lacy night dress. “You finally let your hair up.” 
    I struggled to get out of his grip, but he scoffed, mocking my attempt. “Let go.”
    “Say you’re mine first.”
    “I’ll never say that.”
    “Say it.”
    “No.”
    Riccardo’s index finger trailed gently on my face, then he smirked. “You won’t say it?”
    “I won’t.”
    “Really?”
    “Yes.” I tried to jerk my hands out of his grip again but failed.
    “Okay, I can wait.” Riccardo let go of my wrists, and they fell to my sides. “Very soon, you will say with your delicious little mouth that you love to run.”
    “In your dreams.” I pushed him off my body and took a couple of steps away from him, staring down at my abused wrists.
    “It already happened.”
    “You’re a fréak. A freakiñg psychopàth.”
    He shrugged nonchalantly. “Whatever you say, Sunshine.”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    “Do you prefer ‘good girl’?” He grinned, facepalming himself and hissing dramatically. “Oh, I know the answer to that.” An annoying smirk spread out proudly on his stupid face that I wanted to disfiguré with a fork because he doesn’t deserve to be that good-looking.
    “Why me?” The question was sudden, and he couldn’t have expected it.
    Riccardo rested against the wall, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I actually don’t know that myself. I’ve spent one month asking myself that question. I kept asking myself why I’m so attracted to you. Was it love at first sight? I don’t know. It sounds a little cliche, but when I saw you dancing in that club…” He paused, a small smile on his lips. “You were breathtaking in that little dress you wore. My heart skipped a beat before it started beating faster. I couldn’t talk for a minute, literally, and my eyes couldn’t leave you as you danced and jumped with Felicity…”
    Wait.
    “You know Felicity?” I cut him short, sharply.
    “Yes. I know every single piece of information about you.”
    “That sounds creépy.”
    His laughter breezed through the atmosphere, his dimples adorning his face and his pearly whites grinning at me. I froze, unable to even breathe or blink.
    He is beautiful.
    His laugh is soothing.
    I never thought someone’s laugh could be soothing.
    “That’s what you do to me. You make me màd, in a good way.”
    “I don’t think that’s possible. There’s only one type of màd, and it isn’t good.”
    His steps toward me were precise, and when he reached me, his hand wrapped around my waist. “If you say so.”
    “You’re clingy. I don’t like that.”
    “You’re lying.”
    What does he mean?
    “Excuse me?”
    “You like it when I touch you. You like it when I’m close to you. Your eyes don’t lié, even if your mouth does.”
    That’s bullshít!
    “You don’t know me, so don’t act like you do.”
    “I do know you. I’ve kept an eye on you for three years, and there is nothing I do not know about you.”
    I straightened up, raising my head defiantly. “What is my middle name?”
    He can’t know that. 
    It’s impossible. I’ve never written down my middle name in any official or unofficial document. It was as if it wasn’t even my name. 
    “Renee.”
    What the… 
    How does he know that?
    I hid my surprise. “When did Felicity and I become friends?”
    “Middle school.”
    “Axel?”
    His hold on my waist tightened a little, and his eyes darkened a shade. “Last year of high school.” The discomfort was evident from his body, his eyes, and his tone. “Another question?”
    “You don’t like Axel?”
    “I know he is an idíot, and I simply don’t have any feelings whatsoever towards idióts.”
    Hmm.
    Something happened between them, and I just have to find out one way or another.
    I nodded my head as the idea dropped in. I lifted my hand and wrapped them around his neck. His brows raised as he stared at me, somewhat confused.
    “If I let you kiss me again, will you tell me why you and Axel haté each other?”
    “Cute try, baby, but I can kiss you whenever I want.” He pecked my lips. “See? Up the prize, and maybe I’ll tell you.”
    I cleared my throat, not releasing his neck. My fingers slipped into his hair, and he sighed, his eyes slowly closing. “What do you want?”
    Séx?
    That can only be the reason why he is after me. Why else would he want to marry me when he doesn’t even know me?
    “That was a wrong question on your part,” Riccardo replied, a hidden tone in his voice.
    “Why?”
    “I want you to count me the only worthy man to take care of your heart for the rest of eternity. Can I get that?” He tilted his head, patiently waiting for my answer, but it didn’t come. “I can wait. I’ll wait.” He gave me a small smile and kissed me on my forehead.
    He doesn’t want séx?
    He isn’t doing this to get me in his bed?
    He actually loves me?
    But why?!
    “How are you so certain that you’ll get it?”
    “If you want me the way your eyes are telling me, then you can come to love me, and that day will come very soon.” His voice sounded so certain, so deep, so rough, and domineering. “I can’t wait for that day.”
    “What if it never comes?”
    “It will.”
    “Okay. Let’s wait and see.” I shrugged my shoulders, dropping my hands from his shoulders.
    He poked the inside of his mouth with his tongue. “Is that a challenge?”
    Is it?
    Did it sound like one?
    I shrugged just one shoulder, a smirk playing on my lips. “Maybe it is.”
    “I love a challenge.”
    “So do I.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Yes. In fact, if you can get me to love you before a year runs out, I can also get you to swéar in that same duration.”
    Riccardo threw his head backward, laughing hysterically, like I just said the biggest joke in the world. “Impossible. I will never swéar.”
    “Okay.”
    TBC 📖✍️
  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 21

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 21

     

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 21


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
                                  
    Olivia’s POV 
    I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the annoying ding ringing repeatedly in my head. I tossed and turned on the bed, hoping the movement would drown out the noise, but it continued ringing persistently.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Frustrated, I rolled onto my stomach and screamed into my pillow, kicking my feet against the bed. I lifted my head to check the time on my digital clock and noticed it was only 2:20 am.
    Sitting up, I reached for the source of the incessant noise – my phone. My eyes widened as they met the screen, flooded with countless notifications. I tapped one, my mouth falling open as I read the headline.
    ~ BREAKING NEWS: RICCARDO TORRENCE HAS A NEW GIRL IN HIS NET.
    The article included a picture of Riccardo and me kissing against a sunset backdrop.
    My entire body went cold and a shudder ran through me, whether from the sudden chill in the room or from the flashback of the kiss, I couldn’t tell. A lump formed in my throat, and anxiety slowly crept in.
    I tapped on another notification.
    ~ HEADLINE NEWS: IS THIS REAL OR ARE WE DREAMING? RICCARDO TORRENCE WITH ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!!
    ~ NEWS NEWS: RICCARDO TORRENCE’S NEW TOY?
    ~ BREAKING HEADLINES: WHO IS SHE?!
    As I scrolled through article after article, my body grew hot, sweat forming despite the air conditioning. I wet my lips and clicked on one more headline.
    ~ IS THIS ANOTHER SHORT-TERM HOOK-UP FOR RICCARDO TORRENCE?
    I let out a breath before diving into the article. The words seemed to stretch out, but the intensity of my body’s heat only grew.
    – Yesterday, at exactly 4:30 pm, Riccardo was seen at a downtown convenience store kissing another girl. Who is she? What’s their relationship? And the most important question, why does he seem so whipped with her?
    I flinched as my ringtone shattered the silence of my room. I sighed and tapped the answer icon.
    “Hey, City,” I muttered, standing up and walking to the window.
    She must have heard and seen the news, but that was no surprise. Felicity always kept up-to-date with both entertainment and world news.
    “Hi, babe. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? How are you going to handle your newfound fame?”
    I scoffed, rolling my eyes in annoyance as I sat on the windowsill. “I don’t know how to answer that question.”
    She laughed. “So you and Riccardo were on a date yesterday? You didn’t tell me!”
    “We weren’t on a date. We went to see his parents.”
    “Oh.” Felicity drawled teasingly. “How was it? Did they treat you well? If they didn’t, I’ll go there right now and give them a piece of my mind.”
    I turned the knob on the window and pushed it open, letting the fresh air brush against my face. I nodded, biting the inside of my mouth. “There’s no need for that. His parents were really nice.”
    “I still can’t believe you’re dating THE Riccardo Torrence. It’s unbelievable.”
    “Why is it? Riccardo is human and so am I. Why is it so unbelievable?” 
    “Livvie, don’t get me wrong. You know I love you, but you have to admit that your relationship with Riccardo was unexpected and unbelievable. I mean, you’re engaged to marry him. This is big!” 
    I let my eyes drop to my fingers, which met with the glistening band around my ring finger. The diamond sat on the band, shining in the dark room. I flexed my fingers, still trying to get used to the feeling of the ring around it. 
    “Yes, you could say that. How am I going to go out tomorrow?” 
    “The same way you always do, with your legs or car. But I don’t suggest you go out tomorrow. Riccardo’s fans, which are mostly female fans, are cràzy!” 
    “I know, but that doesn’t mean that I should stay locked up at home.” 
    I need to go see Aunt DeeDee even more now that this news is spreading like wildfire. I wanted to tell her and the remaining family members on my terms, but it came out this way. I’m one hundred percent sure that the síck bastàrd, Riccardo, is responsible for it. 
    “The picture is a good one, though. The paparazzi really captured the moment. It was cute.” 
    I’ll kíll that pest.
    I will kíll him.
    “Yeah, whatever. I don’t want this fame, and I’m getting it.” 
    “Well, it’s the perk of being Riccardo Torrence’s fiancée.” My best friend chimed happily. “Let’s meet later. Axel has been acting wéird.” 
    He has?
    I didn’t notice.
    We haven’t talked in two days, and the last time we did speak was over the phone, and he sounded okay to me. 
    “You sure?” I tilted my head, confused and worried. 
    “Yep.” 
    “Alright. We’ll see today. Noon?” 
    “Alright. At his office?” 
    “Yeah.” 
    “Okay, Ms. Torrence. See you.” 
    Before I could say anything, she hung up. I shook my head, stood up, and exited the room. The room was pitch-black, completely void of light as I strolled over to the kitchen to quench the fire inside of me. 
    The light from the refrigerator dimmed the room briefly when I opened it to take out a bottle of water, and darkness returned to the surroundings after I closed it. After unscrewing the cap of the water bottle, I gulped down the amount I wanted and rested on the counter, taking my phone from the countertop. 
    I scrolled through the contacts on my phone and tapped the one I wanted to talk to. A phone rang, echoing through the walls of the dark room. 
    “W-who is that?” I asked, terrified. My breathing unsteady. 
    A rush of pañic and anxiéty washed over me, and the thumping of my heart could be heard from miles away. Despite my attempts to turn the flashlight on my phone on, it seemed to be frozen. 
    “I said, who are you?” 
    A presence was right in the room with me. I could feel it. I could feel it staring into my soul and feeding on my feàr. I gulped, a shiver running down my spine, and I shuddered. The footsteps of the person slowly, so slowly approached me, and the room became constricting. 
    Step.
    Step.
    Step.
    Step.
    My heart raced fast, and yet I couldn’t breathe. The same ringtone broke through the air again, and when the person brought it to their face, I froze, angér seeping into my blood as the light from the phone shone on his face. 
    “Hi, sunshine.” Riccardo’s voice came out dark, deep, and rough. “Why are you calling me this early in the morning?” 
    “What’s wrong with you?! Why the héll did you break into my house?!” 
    “Language.” He dared to tell me to watch my tongue after scaring me nearly half to déath. 
    I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I took two or three steps towards him. “You don’t get to tell me that. Riccardo, I’ve already told you that I’ll say, do, and wear whatever the héll I want, and you won’t do a dàmn thing about it. Get it into your thick skull. Get out the same way you came in. Just get the fúck out of my house and my life!” 
    In a second, my back slamméd hard against the wall. Pàin ran down my back, and it immediately brought tears to my eyes. His hands held both of my hands above my head on the wall, while the other one stayed on my waist, gripping it tight enough to inflict pàin. 
    In the dark, Riccardo’s figure seemed to tower over me even more. It was like he grew ten inches taller in a minute. His tall, strong body pressed mine against the wall and his dark eyes pierced into mine with so much fúry, so much angér.
    I couldn’t see any of his facial expressions, but his eyes shone in the dark, and it was more than enough to show me that he didn’t like what I said one bit. 
    A psychopathíc chuckle broke out of his mouth, close to my ear. “First thing you need to know is that I will never leave you alone. Never in this life. You are mine. The second thing you also need to know is that when I say something, you listen and don’t be a bràt. You don’t get to defy my words, Olivia.” His voice was low, so low I could barely hear it. It was maniacàl, making me tremble. “Understood?” 
    I nodded my head, words refusing to leave my mouth. My air passage was blocked by something, and I was close to suffocating. 
    “Use your pretty little mouth that you have a knack for running.” He demanded, tightening his grip on my wrists. “Do you understand, Olivia?” 
    “Y-yes,” I managed to choke out. 
    His hand left my waist for a second, and the lights turned on. I looked up, and he was smiling down at me, his dimples and all. I blinked once, twice, thrice to see if my eyes were seeing what they were seeing. 
    What the héck is happening? 
    “I must say, you look so ravishing in this night dress,” his eyes ran down my body, a dark gleam shining in them. “Red is definitely your color,” he remarked, still enjoying letting his eyes linger on my lacy night dress. “You finally let your hair up.” 
    I struggled to get out of his grip, but he scoffed, mocking my attempt. “Let go.”
    “Say you’re mine first.”
    “I’ll never say that.”
    “Say it.”
    “No.”
    Riccardo’s index finger trailed gently on my face, then he smirked. “You won’t say it?”
    “I won’t.”
    “Really?”
    “Yes.” I tried to jerk my hands out of his grip again but failed.
    “Okay, I can wait.” Riccardo let go of my wrists, and they fell to my sides. “Very soon, you will say with your delicious little mouth that you love to run.”
    “In your dreams.” I pushed him off my body and took a couple of steps away from him, staring down at my abused wrists.
    “It already happened.”
    “You’re a fréak. A freakiñg psychopàth.”
    He shrugged nonchalantly. “Whatever you say, Sunshine.”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    “Do you prefer ‘good girl’?” He grinned, facepalming himself and hissing dramatically. “Oh, I know the answer to that.” An annoying smirk spread out proudly on his stupid face that I wanted to disfiguré with a fork because he doesn’t deserve to be that good-looking.
    “Why me?” The question was sudden, and he couldn’t have expected it.
    Riccardo rested against the wall, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I actually don’t know that myself. I’ve spent one month asking myself that question. I kept asking myself why I’m so attracted to you. Was it love at first sight? I don’t know. It sounds a little cliche, but when I saw you dancing in that club…” He paused, a small smile on his lips. “You were breathtaking in that little dress you wore. My heart skipped a beat before it started beating faster. I couldn’t talk for a minute, literally, and my eyes couldn’t leave you as you danced and jumped with Felicity…”
    Wait.
    “You know Felicity?” I cut him short, sharply.
    “Yes. I know every single piece of information about you.”
    “That sounds creépy.”
    His laughter breezed through the atmosphere, his dimples adorning his face and his pearly whites grinning at me. I froze, unable to even breathe or blink.
    He is beautiful.
    His laugh is soothing.
    I never thought someone’s laugh could be soothing.
    “That’s what you do to me. You make me màd, in a good way.”
    “I don’t think that’s possible. There’s only one type of màd, and it isn’t good.”
    His steps toward me were precise, and when he reached me, his hand wrapped around my waist. “If you say so.”
    “You’re clingy. I don’t like that.”
    “You’re lying.”
    What does he mean?
    “Excuse me?”
    “You like it when I touch you. You like it when I’m close to you. Your eyes don’t lié, even if your mouth does.”
    That’s bullshít!
    “You don’t know me, so don’t act like you do.”
    “I do know you. I’ve kept an eye on you for three years, and there is nothing I do not know about you.”
    I straightened up, raising my head defiantly. “What is my middle name?”
    He can’t know that. 
    It’s impossible. I’ve never written down my middle name in any official or unofficial document. It was as if it wasn’t even my name. 
    “Renee.”
    What the… 
    How does he know that?
    I hid my surprise. “When did Felicity and I become friends?”
    “Middle school.”
    “Axel?”
    His hold on my waist tightened a little, and his eyes darkened a shade. “Last year of high school.” The discomfort was evident from his body, his eyes, and his tone. “Another question?”
    “You don’t like Axel?”
    “I know he is an idíot, and I simply don’t have any feelings whatsoever towards idióts.”
    Hmm.
    Something happened between them, and I just have to find out one way or another.
    I nodded my head as the idea dropped in. I lifted my hand and wrapped them around his neck. His brows raised as he stared at me, somewhat confused.
    “If I let you kiss me again, will you tell me why you and Axel haté each other?”
    “Cute try, baby, but I can kiss you whenever I want.” He pecked my lips. “See? Up the prize, and maybe I’ll tell you.”
    I cleared my throat, not releasing his neck. My fingers slipped into his hair, and he sighed, his eyes slowly closing. “What do you want?”
    Séx?
    That can only be the reason why he is after me. Why else would he want to marry me when he doesn’t even know me?
    “That was a wrong question on your part,” Riccardo replied, a hidden tone in his voice.
    “Why?”
    “I want you to count me the only worthy man to take care of your heart for the rest of eternity. Can I get that?” He tilted his head, patiently waiting for my answer, but it didn’t come. “I can wait. I’ll wait.” He gave me a small smile and kissed me on my forehead.
    He doesn’t want séx?
    He isn’t doing this to get me in his bed?
    He actually loves me?
    But why?!
    “How are you so certain that you’ll get it?”
    “If you want me the way your eyes are telling me, then you can come to love me, and that day will come very soon.” His voice sounded so certain, so deep, so rough, and domineering. “I can’t wait for that day.”
    “What if it never comes?”
    “It will.”
    “Okay. Let’s wait and see.” I shrugged my shoulders, dropping my hands from his shoulders.
    He poked the inside of his mouth with his tongue. “Is that a challenge?”
    Is it?
    Did it sound like one?
    I shrugged just one shoulder, a smirk playing on my lips. “Maybe it is.”
    “I love a challenge.”
    “So do I.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Yes. In fact, if you can get me to love you before a year runs out, I can also get you to swéar in that same duration.”
    Riccardo threw his head backward, laughing hysterically, like I just said the biggest joke in the world. “Impossible. I will never swéar.”
    “Okay.”
    TBC 📖✍️
  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 18

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 18

      

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 18


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

    Olivia’s POV

    Do you know that feeling when you’re nervous but have to act like you’re not?

    Well, I do.

    From the moment I stepped into the Torrence’s house, I’ve felt off. Like I’m not myself, and I usually don’t feel like that. But when you know deep down in your heart that you’re about to go into a family’s living room, sit with a family that loves each other, smile at them, then líe straight to their faces, and ultimately break their hearts.

    That’s what’s going to happen.

    I just need to put on this charade for two years, and then it’ll be over.

    I tuck the wavy strands behind my ear, wearing a not-so-fake smile as I listen to Annika, Riccardo’s mother, tell me stories about Riccardo’s childhood. 

    “That’s so cute,” I say in a high-pitched baby voice, pointing at a picture where Riccardo is sitting on the floor, wearing only a diaper with frosting smeared around his mouth. Annika’s eyes travel from the picture to me, then back to the picture, with a glint of happy memories in her black orbs. “He kept his baby pictures away from me.”

    I keep up the liés.

    I’m not hurtíng anyone.

    “Rick is like that. By the way, he doesn’t have any copies of them.”

    I nod my head, my eyes still lingering on the pictures. “He was a cute baby.” It’s the honest truth. “His cheeks are so puffy.”

    After Riccardo left, who knows where, Annika made me sit with her to look at the pictures. I thought it would be boring at first, but it turned out to be fun. I admit, I’m nervous as héll, and I thought he would be right here by my side, as he promised, to lié to his mother who seems to be warming up to me. But, she’s actually cool.

    Annika is a middle-aged woman who was a retired famous model and prima ballerina. She moves with so much elegance and carries herself with grace. Her smile is adorable, messing up with her perfect model face, and it also makes her eyes smile too. Her deep, shiny, shoulder-length hair frames her fair face.

    She’s simply stunning.

    She faces me, and I stop staring at the pictures for a second to face her too. “So, how did you meet my naughty little boy?”

    One of the things my mom taught me was to never let them see your nervousness because they will use it against you.

    I stare at her, almost locking our eyes together but change my mind because it would be harder to líe while looking straight into her eyes. I cross my legs out of habit and lick my lips. “At a gala. He bumped into me, spilled his drink on me, and didn’t apologize. I was beyond pissed since it was a white dress. I met him the next day at a cafe, and he apologized with the excuse that he had a rough day the night before, and offered to buy me coffee. We also met at the same cafe the next day, and he got me coffee again. We kind of exchanged numbers after the fourth ‘coincidental’ meeting, and it kicked off from there.”

    Annika hums softly and flips the page of the photo album, still staring at it. “Gala? What do you do?”

    Should I lié?

    No.

    Why should I lié?

    “An editor.”

    “What kind of editor?”

    “A book editor. Like, novels editor.”

    She cocks her head at me, her eyes swimming with some happiness. “Oh, that’s nice. You read?”

    “A lot,” I reply, letting out a small laugh. “It’s practically my job.”

    “Ah, I see. Do you know Stefan?”

    “Stefan Salvatore?” I blurt out without thinking, and I wish the ground would open up and swallow me, but she laughs and closes the photo album, shaking her head.

    “No, dear.” Her laughter lingers in the air, as does her smile. “Stefan Coleman. Do you know him?”

    Hello, yes!

    Who in the world of novels doesn’t know Stefan Coleman?

    He’s like the god of awesome novels. I’ve read every one of his books and have every copy signed by him.

    I nod my head, feeling speechless or maybe I’m purposely keeping quiet so my voice won’t come out like a crazy fangirl. 

    “He’s…” She begin but stop as she turned her head to the door. A bigger smile tugs at Annika’s lips. “Hey, baby.”

    “Mom,” a feminine voice brushes the air, and I turn to see who it belongs to. The owner rushes to Annika and hugs her tightly. “How are you doing?”

    “I’m wonderful. You?”

    “Great.” The girl drawls out, her gaze finally meeting me, and her brows furrow with confusion. “You are?”

    “Olivia.”

    “Riccardo’s fiancée.” Annika completes my sentence, and the girl’s mouth falls open and her eyes widen. “Nicole, unfreeze.”

    I hold in my laugh at the immediate response to the command. The girl stands up straight and stretches out her hand, a smile replacing her shock, but it still lingers on her face. “As my beautiful mother just said, I’m Nicole.”

    “Olivia.” I repeat, taking her hand in a firm shake and beaming at her. “You’re Riccardo’s sister.”

    “And you’re Riccardo’s fiancée.” She retorts, almost like she’s in a trance, as she looks at me from head to toe. “I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend. How much did he pay you?”

    He didn’t pay me.

    He coercéd me.

    “Zero dollars because I don’t need to get paid to love Riccardo.” I try not to puke in my mouth as those words leave my lips or act disgustéd in the slightest. I even wear the fakest smile I can muster. “If I was getting paid, I would have left after just a year, after bagging all the money he paid me, but we’ve been dating for three years now.”

    “That’s huge.”

    “What’s huge?” A masculine voice chimes in, and I think my head is going to explode as I quickly turn to look at the person with such a familiar voice. His eyes fall on me, and he smiles. “Oh hi. Have I seen you somewhere before? You look oddly familiar.”

    I try my best not to freak out as I stare at him. He stands tall and handsome, holding a baby in his big, strong arms, smiling down at me. “We have met countless times.”

    “Excuse me, should I be jealous?” Nicole teases, or at least I hope she does. “Olivia is so pretty, and you’re hot. Should I be bothered?”

    Yes, he’s hot as héll, but that doesn’t mean I want him. I’m his die-hard fan, but I know my limits.

    “No, please.”

    “I’m just joking, and he knows it. Where did you two meet?”

    “Book signing events. Meet and greet events, and book-related events.”

    I won’t allow myself to be the starting point of a fight between a married couple.

    No. Not in this life.

    His eyes flash with recognition, and his smile turns into a grin. “I remember now. You’re Olivia Donovan.” He extends his hand to me. “You already know my name, but please pardon me. I’m Stefan Coleman, the dad to this handsome boy right here.”

    I shift my attention from him to the baby and offer a small smile at the cute baby. “Hi.” A high-pitched baby voice comes out again as I tickle the baby’s tummy. He giggles his toothless giggle, and I just want to squeeze him because he’s so freaking adorable. “What’s his name?”

    “Levi.”

    Where the héck is that síck bastàrd?

    “Be right back,” Nicole says and leaves the living room, heading in the same direction that Riccardo used to, leaving me alone with his mother.

    I give myself ten more minutes before I snap. I can’t fake smile anymore because my mouth hurts and I feel hot and heavy.

    Shît.

    What did I get myself into?

    TBC 📖✍️

    Next Episode

    Previous Episode 

  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 18

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 18

      

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 18


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

    Olivia’s POV

    Do you know that feeling when you’re nervous but have to act like you’re not?

    Well, I do.

    From the moment I stepped into the Torrence’s house, I’ve felt off. Like I’m not myself, and I usually don’t feel like that. But when you know deep down in your heart that you’re about to go into a family’s living room, sit with a family that loves each other, smile at them, then líe straight to their faces, and ultimately break their hearts.

    That’s what’s going to happen.

    I just need to put on this charade for two years, and then it’ll be over.

    I tuck the wavy strands behind my ear, wearing a not-so-fake smile as I listen to Annika, Riccardo’s mother, tell me stories about Riccardo’s childhood. 

    “That’s so cute,” I say in a high-pitched baby voice, pointing at a picture where Riccardo is sitting on the floor, wearing only a diaper with frosting smeared around his mouth. Annika’s eyes travel from the picture to me, then back to the picture, with a glint of happy memories in her black orbs. “He kept his baby pictures away from me.”

    I keep up the liés.

    I’m not hurtíng anyone.

    “Rick is like that. By the way, he doesn’t have any copies of them.”

    I nod my head, my eyes still lingering on the pictures. “He was a cute baby.” It’s the honest truth. “His cheeks are so puffy.”

    After Riccardo left, who knows where, Annika made me sit with her to look at the pictures. I thought it would be boring at first, but it turned out to be fun. I admit, I’m nervous as héll, and I thought he would be right here by my side, as he promised, to lié to his mother who seems to be warming up to me. But, she’s actually cool.

    Annika is a middle-aged woman who was a retired famous model and prima ballerina. She moves with so much elegance and carries herself with grace. Her smile is adorable, messing up with her perfect model face, and it also makes her eyes smile too. Her deep, shiny, shoulder-length hair frames her fair face.

    She’s simply stunning.

    She faces me, and I stop staring at the pictures for a second to face her too. “So, how did you meet my naughty little boy?”

    One of the things my mom taught me was to never let them see your nervousness because they will use it against you.

    I stare at her, almost locking our eyes together but change my mind because it would be harder to líe while looking straight into her eyes. I cross my legs out of habit and lick my lips. “At a gala. He bumped into me, spilled his drink on me, and didn’t apologize. I was beyond pissed since it was a white dress. I met him the next day at a cafe, and he apologized with the excuse that he had a rough day the night before, and offered to buy me coffee. We also met at the same cafe the next day, and he got me coffee again. We kind of exchanged numbers after the fourth ‘coincidental’ meeting, and it kicked off from there.”

    Annika hums softly and flips the page of the photo album, still staring at it. “Gala? What do you do?”

    Should I lié?

    No.

    Why should I lié?

    “An editor.”

    “What kind of editor?”

    “A book editor. Like, novels editor.”

    She cocks her head at me, her eyes swimming with some happiness. “Oh, that’s nice. You read?”

    “A lot,” I reply, letting out a small laugh. “It’s practically my job.”

    “Ah, I see. Do you know Stefan?”

    “Stefan Salvatore?” I blurt out without thinking, and I wish the ground would open up and swallow me, but she laughs and closes the photo album, shaking her head.

    “No, dear.” Her laughter lingers in the air, as does her smile. “Stefan Coleman. Do you know him?”

    Hello, yes!

    Who in the world of novels doesn’t know Stefan Coleman?

    He’s like the god of awesome novels. I’ve read every one of his books and have every copy signed by him.

    I nod my head, feeling speechless or maybe I’m purposely keeping quiet so my voice won’t come out like a crazy fangirl. 

    “He’s…” She begin but stop as she turned her head to the door. A bigger smile tugs at Annika’s lips. “Hey, baby.”

    “Mom,” a feminine voice brushes the air, and I turn to see who it belongs to. The owner rushes to Annika and hugs her tightly. “How are you doing?”

    “I’m wonderful. You?”

    “Great.” The girl drawls out, her gaze finally meeting me, and her brows furrow with confusion. “You are?”

    “Olivia.”

    “Riccardo’s fiancée.” Annika completes my sentence, and the girl’s mouth falls open and her eyes widen. “Nicole, unfreeze.”

    I hold in my laugh at the immediate response to the command. The girl stands up straight and stretches out her hand, a smile replacing her shock, but it still lingers on her face. “As my beautiful mother just said, I’m Nicole.”

    “Olivia.” I repeat, taking her hand in a firm shake and beaming at her. “You’re Riccardo’s sister.”

    “And you’re Riccardo’s fiancée.” She retorts, almost like she’s in a trance, as she looks at me from head to toe. “I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend. How much did he pay you?”

    He didn’t pay me.

    He coercéd me.

    “Zero dollars because I don’t need to get paid to love Riccardo.” I try not to puke in my mouth as those words leave my lips or act disgustéd in the slightest. I even wear the fakest smile I can muster. “If I was getting paid, I would have left after just a year, after bagging all the money he paid me, but we’ve been dating for three years now.”

    “That’s huge.”

    “What’s huge?” A masculine voice chimes in, and I think my head is going to explode as I quickly turn to look at the person with such a familiar voice. His eyes fall on me, and he smiles. “Oh hi. Have I seen you somewhere before? You look oddly familiar.”

    I try my best not to freak out as I stare at him. He stands tall and handsome, holding a baby in his big, strong arms, smiling down at me. “We have met countless times.”

    “Excuse me, should I be jealous?” Nicole teases, or at least I hope she does. “Olivia is so pretty, and you’re hot. Should I be bothered?”

    Yes, he’s hot as héll, but that doesn’t mean I want him. I’m his die-hard fan, but I know my limits.

    “No, please.”

    “I’m just joking, and he knows it. Where did you two meet?”

    “Book signing events. Meet and greet events, and book-related events.”

    I won’t allow myself to be the starting point of a fight between a married couple.

    No. Not in this life.

    His eyes flash with recognition, and his smile turns into a grin. “I remember now. You’re Olivia Donovan.” He extends his hand to me. “You already know my name, but please pardon me. I’m Stefan Coleman, the dad to this handsome boy right here.”

    I shift my attention from him to the baby and offer a small smile at the cute baby. “Hi.” A high-pitched baby voice comes out again as I tickle the baby’s tummy. He giggles his toothless giggle, and I just want to squeeze him because he’s so freaking adorable. “What’s his name?”

    “Levi.”

    Where the héck is that síck bastàrd?

    “Be right back,” Nicole says and leaves the living room, heading in the same direction that Riccardo used to, leaving me alone with his mother.

    I give myself ten more minutes before I snap. I can’t fake smile anymore because my mouth hurts and I feel hot and heavy.

    Shît.

    What did I get myself into?

    TBC 📖✍️

    Next Episode

    Previous Episode 

  • Exclusively Yours – Episode 15

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 15

     

    EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

    Exclusively Yours – Episode 15


    Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}

               ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿                                                                                                                                                                     
                                
                                 
                                  
    Olivia’s POV 
    The day has finally arrived when I would see Riccardo’s family and put on a façade. I would sit on their sofa with a smile plastered on my face and líe to their faces, pretending that I love their son with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life with him.
    I was incredibly nervous. Scratch that. I was beyond nervous.
    I cleared my throat, trying to swallow the lump that had formed, and chugged down a full bottle of water. Exhaling deeply, I dabbed the back of my hand on my lips to wipe away any residual water droplets.
    I had no idea what to wear. What kind of outfit would be suitable for this occasion?
    I hadn’t even told my own family yet. It would be much harder to lie to them, so I wanted to give myself a little more time.
    My eyes scanned through the dresses in my wardrobe, and as I reached out to pick a red one, my phone pinged with a text notification. I pulled it out from the pocket of my robe.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: Wear a dress.
    I scoffed at the message. Who did he think he was, telling me what to wear?
    ME: No.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: Why not?
    I swear, I haté this man with a passion.
    Deciding not to reply, I put my phone back in my robe pocket. But it pinged again. Irritated, I ignored it, focusing on selecting another outfit. Dresses were clearly out of the question. There was no way I would allow someone I despiséd to dictate my choices.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    Ping.
    I threw my head back and groaned before reluctantly reaching for my phone. I let out a frustrated hiss.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: I asked you a question.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: Don’t ignore me.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: I want you to wear a dress.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: Sunshine, ignoring me isn’t a good idea.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: If you don’t reply to me this instant, I’ll have to drive over and make you. I have some ideas. Do you want to hear them?
    ME: I’m not wearing a dress, Riccardo. Forget it.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: Good girl. I was beginning to think I’d have to punísh you.
    A shiver ran down my spine, and I shuddered as I read the text, knowing exactly what kind of punishmént he was implying. My whole body heated up as flashbacks from yesterday’s incident flooded my mind, my fingers subconsciously brushing the spot where he had bitten me.
    Closing my eyes, my lips parted involuntarily, as if refusing to snap out of the overwhelming sensations. My body longed for his touch and his lips, but my rational thoughts fought to remain in control.
    Summoning the last shreds of my reason, I pulled myself together and selected an outfit from my closet. I exited the closet and entered the bathroom to take a long shower.
    Sitting at my vanity chair, facing the mirror with lights, I applied lotion to my body before blow-drying and brushing my hair. From the corner of my eye, I noticed my phone lighting up on the vanity table while I applied makeup to my face.
    PSYÇH RUNAWAY: On my way.
    I placed my phone back on the table and hurriedly finished getting ready. After a few more minutes, there was a knock on my door, and I got up to answer it.
    As I turned the knob and pushed the door open, his face came into view, and I tilted my head at him. “You can knock?”
    His eyes immediately scanned my outfit, and a frown slowly formed on his face. “You really have a knack for disobeying me, don’t you, sunshine?”
    With the sweetest smile on my face, I cheerfully nodded my head. “Yes. Is it getting on your nerves?”
    “Very much so.”
    “Will it make you…”
    “Don’t bother finishing that sentence. My answer is no.” His voice grew sharp and determined. “Why didn’t you wear a dress?”
    I glanced down at my outfit—a black turtleneck, dark blue jeans, black knee-high boots, and a black trench coat—and then back at him. “I prefer this and I don’t like being told what to do or wear.”
    I waited for his response or further actions, but for ten whole seconds, he just stood there, silently observing me with an enigmatic expression.
    “What?” I finally asked.
    Riccardo took a step forward, causing me to subconsciously take a step back. He smirked, a familiar smirk that I had grown used to, and used a finger to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You are truly beautiful, do you know that?”
    My eyes locked with his, searching for something intangible. I tried to take another step back, but he was faster, his hand wrapping around my waist as he pulled me closer to him.
    “When will you stop trying to escape from me?” His voice grew deeper, calmly resonating through the room. “Sunshine, you need to get used to me being close, because this will be your life for the next 731 days.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear. “Breathe.”
    It was then that I realized I had been holding my breath. I took in a deep breath and swallowed hard.
    “Good girl.”
    I couldn’t explain it, but those two words ignited something indescribably sinfúl within me. Even my rational mind couldn’t suppress it.
    “Do you know why I wanted you to wear a dress?” he whispered, his teeth grazing my earlobe. I trembled in his arms, his chuckle sending shivers down my spine, as I tried to pull away. But he tightened his grip on my waist, holding me firmly against him.
    “Sunshine, do you truly hàte me?”
    “Y-yes.” Annoyed by my own stammering, I closed my eyes and reaffirmed my answer. “I do.”
    “I’m not so sure about that.” He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, causing my eyes to close again at the sensation. His cologne enveloped my senses, and I tried not to enjoy its scent. “Your heart is racing, your lips are begging to be kissed again, your body reacts to my touch, and you can’t even keep your eyes open.”
    I flung my eyes open, meeting his intense gaze with his captivating black eyes. “Don’t deceive yourself. I don’t want you.”
    “I never said that.” Riccardo grinned mischievoúsly. “Do you want me?”
    “No.”
    “Are you sure? You don’t want me to push you agaínst the wall and have my way wíth you? You don’t want me to throw yôu over my shoulder and spànk your àss because you haven’t been a good girl? You don’t want me to trail kissés all over your smooth body and mark you so that everyone knows you beloñg to me? You don’t want me to toúch you and leave you breathléss, just like you are right now? You don’t want me to do unspeakàble things to you and make you moàn my name like a prayer?”
    His words elicited an ungôdly sound from deep within me, and he smirked, releasing his grip on my waist. The effect of his words was both toe-curling and breathtaking, in a literal sense.
    “That’s my answer. Let’s go.”
    I brushed my hair back with my fingers and let out a shaky sigh. His face held an immense amount of pride as he poked the inside of his mouth with his tongue. 
    How could he say such provocative things without using any profañity and still sound incredibly dírty? It was difficult to capture my attention, yet he already had mine.
    How could I possibly want him after he had nearly chokéd me and kissed me without my coñsent?
    Was that even possible?
    “Sunshine, let’s go. My family is waiting.
    Jesus Christ, please guide me.
    TBC 📖✍️