Torrid Exposure - Book 5 E-Book

Carla Coxwell

• Herausgeber: Revelry Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Book 5 of the Torrid Exposure New Adult Romance Series

A Billionaire New Adult Romance Story

April must put the pieces of her life story together before it is too late to take down a mad billionaire and his lust for power but will the target on her back prove to be deadly?

***Due to sexually graphic content and language that some may find offensive, this book is intended for mature readers only***

With Spencer’s daughter, Aria, missing and Kevin hot on their trail, April feels as if things have flown completely off the rails. After Kevin lies and tells Bennett that April was kissing Anderson, she finds herself struggling to plan out her next move.    
    
As work and life go on, April knows that she has to help her sister find her daughter and make sure Kevin can no longer hurt anyone. 

Navigating through Kevin’s history, April might just find enough of the puzzle pieces to solve the mystery of what Kevin could be hiding and how to take him down. Will Bennett help her work against his own father or will he be more concerned about the company?

In the conclusion to April’s story, she must put the pieces together before it is too late to take down a mad billionaire and his lust for power. In doing so though, will the target on her back prove to be deadly? 

Download the story to find out what happens.

Leseprobe

WARNING

This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. It may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults ONLY.

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Please store your files wisely where they cannot be accessed by underage readers.

Copyright 2017 by Revelry Publishing

All Rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known, hereinafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher.

DISCLAIMER

This book is a work of FICTION. It is not to be confused with reality. Neither the author nor the publisher or its associates assume any responsibility for any loss, injury, death or legal consequences resulting from acting on the contents in this book. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Every character in this book is over 18 years of age. The author’s opinions are not to be construed as the opinions of the publisher. The material in this book is for entertainment purposes ONLY. Enjoy.

Other Books by Carla Coxwell:

Devil's Advocate BBW MC New Adult Romance Series

When Kristie comes home from college, the last thing she is expecting is her world to be turned upside down by the appearance of her step-brother, Gray. Gray is rash, impulsive and breaks the law. Kristie’s mom asks if she can try to befriend Gray, in hopes to get him on the straight and narrow. The plan backfires, however, as Kristie finds herself falling for Gray. Is it possible he feels the same way? The connection between them threatens to tear down everything Kristie has ever held dear.

Fifty Recipes For Disaster New Adult Romance Series

Trying to win a competition for best chef is cut-throat business. Kiara Sands has just won the opportunity of a lifetime. When she arrives at Fission, she has no idea just how much her life is going to change. She’s immediately introduced to Jenny Foster and Robbs Martin, her competitors in the cut throat competition. The only thing Kiara finds more distracting than Robbs’ hateful attitude is the handsome executive chef, Paul Weston. It doesn’t help matters that Paul is quite taken by Kiara, and showers her with more attention than he gives her competitors.

Star Bright New Adult Romance Series (This series follows “Fifty Recipes For Disaster New Adult Romance Series”)

Torn between her feelings for her agent, Jon, and Rich, a charming bad boy who has ties in the movie industry, Jenny finds herself working through her own past to try to get a grip on her present. As she struggles to learn the lesson that in Hollywood not everyone is what they appear to be, Jenny tries to become a person that she can be proud of. Will she be able to find love and success in Hollywood? Or will she be dragged down by her past forever?

Obsessed Bounty Hunter Romance Series

Jacqui Schneider couldn't help it. Every time the memories of her family's brutal murder haunted her, she had to escape. The only thing that could replace her sorrow was sex... and lots of it. Depressed and with no goal in sight, Jacqui continued on with her self-deprecating lifestyle until it all changed one day. Uncle Max, an old family friend, appeared unannounced. Jacqui was astonished when Uncle Max revealed a secret to her about her father. From those few words, Jacqui's world turned completely upside down. She really didn't know her own father. In fact, she didn't even know much about Uncle Max, except that he visited them for a few days at a time over the years.

Get the latest update on new releases from the author at:

https://www.carlacoxwell.com/newsletter

This book is Part Five of the “Torrid Exposure New Adult Romance Series”

Book 1

April is finished with school and ready to build a career. Coming from a well-to-do family, she has decided to reboot her life completely. With family scars too deep to mend, April craves a fresh start. But the past is harder to shake than April ever would have imagined. At the center of it all is Bennett, an old family friend who is the heir to a billionaire media mogul company. Bennett and April haven’t been able to stand each other since they were kids. But as the world shifts, the two of them discover the past might be the key to their future.

Book 2

April is shocked to find Bennett kissing another woman. What takes her even more by surprise are the sudden feelings that swell up in her at the sight. As April struggles to figure out where she stands with Bennett and resolves to stay away from him, her father falls ill. April toes the line between taking care of her father and not getting involved with the family’s company. Will April be able to stay on top of everything going on in her life and be able to keep her head on straight? Or will family ties drag her down past the point of no return?

Book 3

April has discovered her sister's darkest secret that has kept their relationship on the rocks since her near-fatal car accident. After learning of her father’s death, she suddenly feels as if she has lost her one ally in her family. All she has left is her promise to her father that she will make things right with her sister, Spencer. As April refuses to give up and dives head first into discovering the past, she also falls deeper in with Bennett, the billionaire heir to a far reaching media corporation.

Book 4

April’s world is rocked when she discovers the truth behind the night of her accident. Her sister, Spencer, has deep secrets of her own. Both involve a man they have known since they were kids – Kevin, Bennett’s father and the owner of a billionaire media corporation. April is determined to help her sister break free of Kevin’s clutches and repair their relationship. She wants to help Bennett see that he can stand on his own two feet without needing to bow down to the whims of his father. Can Bennett protect his father without losing April?

Book 5

With Spencer’s daughter, Aria, missing and Kevin hot on their trail, April feels as if things have flown completely off the rails. After Kevin lies and tells Bennett that April was kissing Anderson, she finds herself struggling to plan out her next move. Will Bennett help her work against his own father or will he be more concerned about the company? April must put the pieces of her life story together before it is too late to take down a mad billionaire and his lust for power but will the target on her back prove to be deadly?

A New Adult Romance Series

Torrid Exposure

Book Five

By Carla Coxwell

Copyright Revelry Publishing 2017

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Other Books by Carla Coxwell

About the Author - Carla Coxwell

Connect with Carla Coxwell

Chapter One

“HI, THIS is Bennett. I can’t come to the phone right now –”

I let out a groan and slam the end call button. The screen flashes Bennett’s name a couple of times and then goes dark. There is no way that I am going to leave another voicemail. I had already left three in the day and a half since Bennett had called me and asked why I had been kissing Anderson.

“You okay?” Emily’s voice says from behind me.

I turn around and nod, “Yeah. Well...” I shrug and look down at my phone.

Emily understands and sighs, “He’ll come around. He can’t honestly believe that you kissed Anderson, right?”

She looks at me curiously, as if part of her doesn’t believe her own words. When Spencer and I had gotten back from Harmony’s house, I ended up telling Emily everything that I had been holding back from her. Now that she is caught up, she is determined to help me figure things out but the problem is that we don’t know where to start.

“I don’t know,” I finally reply. “I’ll figure it out, I guess. I was just hoping...”

“That he wasn’t going to be so quick to believe his dad? I know. But we don’t know what’s happening on his end, April. There could be more going on than we know.”

“Maybe,” I reply doubtfully, “I hope so. Anyway, let me get back to it.”

Emily nods and heads back into Miss Midnight’s shop. In order to distract myself, I had agreed to take photos of her tarot shop for her website. I hadn’t thought when I had called her last night that Miss Midnight would mean the very next day but I wasn’t going to say no to a job.

I trail after Emily but my mind is still on Bennett. After he accused me of kissing Anderson, the call suddenly dropped and I had no cell phone service. It had taken a few minutes to get it back but by then, Bennett was no longer answering my calls.

It is obvious that Kevin told Bennett that Anderson and I had been kissing. The truth – that Anderson had feelings for me and I had rebuffed him – wasn’t important to Kevin. He didn’t want the two of us dating and he loathed me. Anything to get me out of the way.

“Ah, there you are,” Miss Midnight says, “I finished organizing the room where I do my readings. You should take the photos there next.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” I reply.

Miss Midnight nods and beckons Emily over to her. “Come here, dear, we’ll go over your cards again.”

“Doing a reading?” I ask, wondering if I could take photos of the two of them.

Emily chimes up, “She’s teaching me how to read the cards.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” I reply, surprised that Emily has taken that much of an interest in the whole tarot card thing.

The two of them head off to a small table in the back of the office area and I head down the hallway to take photos of the tarot reading room. Even though I still constantly worry about Emily and her choices, I am not going to say anything about how I am not sure I believe in any of this stuff. If she has found something that she enjoys, then I want to make sure I support her.

I step into the tarot room. When Miss Midnight did a reading on me, which boiled down to fixing my relationships before taking on Kevin, I had blown it off. A large part of me still didn’t believe any of it. But, in the silence of the room, I have to admit to myself that I did tell Emily everything that was going on because of the reading nagging me in the back of my mind.

Some of the things I’ve been working on since that card reading include supporting Emily and helping her when she needs me... helping Spencer, forgiving her for what happened the night of my car accident, and working to find her daughter, Aria. Those are things I am actively trying to work toward. I suppose that I still have to work things through with my mother. Our relationship had fallen apart when I opted out of the family fortune and business and hadn’t improved even after dad died. And things with Bennett are clearly still a mess.

I push those thoughts out of my mind and work on setting up the shots of the room. The silence surrounds me and is oddly comforting, like a heavy blanket. The incense in the room gives me a slight headache but other than that, taking photos in here is a breeze.

After about thirty minutes of taking photos and setting up shots, the door behind me opens. I turn around and Miss Midnight walks in. Her many bracelets on her wrists bang against each other as she moves.

“Going well?”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything you want specifically?”

“Some pictures with the crystal ball. People eat that up for some reason,” she replies with a small shrug.

I nod and move toward the table in the center of the room. The crystal ball on the table is a new addition. Emily said Miss Midnight bought it because it was a gimmick that people seemed to enjoy.

“How are things, dear?”

Oh no. She is staring at me with her eyes wide, as if she is going to tell me my aura is off again or something. The last thing I feel like right now is dealing with how doom and gloom my aura apparently is. I pretend to be fiddling with camera settings.

“Great. You?”

“You look tired. Do you want me to give you another reading?”

“No,” I say so quickly that Miss Midnight looks startled. “Sorry. No, I should really focus on the work at hand. But thanks.” Desperate to change the subject, I say, “Emily seems to be enjoying herself here.”

Miss Midnight stares at me a beat too long, as if she can see right through me. I look down at the crystal ball and wipe away an imaginary speck of dust off the table and raise my camera.

Taking the hint, she goes along with my change of subject. “Yes, Emily has really taken to it here. She learns quickly, that girl. Even though she is lost, I believe she will find her way.”

“Lost?” I ask in spite of knowing better, glancing up at her quickly.

“She clearly doesn’t know what she wants out of her life. But she’s smart. She’ll figure it out.”

“I hope so. She’s always sorta been aimless.” I catch myself before I say too much about Emily and her personal life to her boss. “How is her father doing?”

“I don’t see him very often. Sometimes he sits out on the patio, doing puzzles. Emily says she’s going to visit with him this weekend. Would do them both good, I think. They both have unresolved issues. Better to work them out before he passes on and Emily regrets it.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

My mind flicks over to my mother again and a nagging feeling that I need to reach out to her comes back up. I look away from Miss Midnight. It is ridiculous to think that she can sense anything going on with me or that her readings have anything prescient in them. Even though the logical part of me tells me to get a grip, I still turn away from her, as if I can block her from staring at me.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Let me know when you finish in here,” she says to me.

“Will do.”

Miss Midnight leaves, closing the door behind her. I stare at where she had been standing, wondering what it is about her that always makes me feel unnerved.

“You’re being an idiot,” I say aloud. “No one has special powers.”

I push the thoughts out of my mind and go back to work.

Chapter Two

By the time I am done, it is mid-afternoon. I finish taking the front shots of the store and head back inside. Miss Midnight is with a client. I saw her walk in – a short, slightly chubby blonde woman, clutching her purse tightly as if it held a secret.

Emily is behind her desk, the window open, when I step inside. She smiles when she sees me.

“All done?”

“Yup. She’s with someone right?”

“Yeah, it’s one of her regulars,” she says, and then disappears from the window and comes out of the hallway into the room. “I’ll tell her you finished though.”

“Great. How did your lesson go?”

“It’s fun. I like learning about the cards and what they could tell me. I really like it here.”

“You could do a reading for Adam,” I remark.

A dark cloud passes over Emily’s face that makes my heart sink. Like I had been suspecting, marrying Adam probably wasn’t working out as perfectly as she had been hoping for.

“Maybe,” Emily replies curtly.

I want to tell her that it is okay, that she can tell me if things aren’t working out with Adam and I won’t get upset. But Emily clearly doesn’t want to discuss it and changes the subject.

“You know, I was thinking about Bennett,” she says, “and I think you should go to his apartment.”

“What?”

“Yeah, just stop by there. Listen, I know you’re thinking the worst... that he’s going to dump you or something over what his dad said. But I think everyone is selling him short. You’ve known him since you were kids and after all the bullshit of pretending you hate each other, you’re finally together. I just don’t think we should write him off. Go to him, April. See if you can talk to him.”

I chew on her words. She is right – I am scared that Bennett will believe his father over me. How could I blame him? I am asking Bennett to go against his father. He believes the best in him and how could he not? What sort of person believes the worst of their own parents?

“I just don’t want you to lose someone you care about,” Emily finishes.

I nod, “Okay. I’ll go by now.”

She smiles. “Great. I think it’ll be good for you to talk to him.”

“What if he isn’t home?” I ask, feeling unsure. “He could be working.”

“He could be working from home too. Stop by anyway. If he isn’t home, then go back later.”

I agree and we hug each other. I leave the shop, feeling nervous. Emily’s idea is a good one and I know she only wants the best for me. Bennett and I love each other – maybe I shouldn’t be expecting the worst.

Trying to remain hopeful, I get in the car and check my phone just in case I missed anything. Nothing from Bennett. Even more worrying is the fact that there is nothing from Spencer. She has been oddly silent since we went to Harmony’s house and saw that Aria and her family were gone. I shoot her a quick text on the burner phone, asking if she is okay, and set off toward Bennett’s place.

By the time I pull up to his complex, I am so nervous that I feel a bit sick. The parking lot is full and I end up parking one lane down from Bennett’s place. I try to calm myself and take deep breaths. The apartments here all have garages for the owners so I can’t tell if Bennett is home or not. As I walk, I try to collect myself and then head out toward his front door.