Dirty Little Lies by Cassie Cross

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DIRTY LITTLE LIES

Dirty Little Series #2

Cassie Cross

Releasing Dec 1st, 2015

Self Published

Ben Williams is a billionaire CEO at the top of his game. He’s a handsome, eligible bachelor who could have any woman…except the one he wants. Marisa Blake is the love of his life, the one who got away. Ben is willing to do whatever it takes to win her back.

Marisa is a young entrepreneur whose family is falling apart. Her parents are involved in a well-publicized scandal, and both her and her sister’s names are being dragged through the mud. Just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, Ben shows up at her doorstep. He was her college boyfriend, and a serial cheater.

Great sex is the only thing they ever had in common, and Marisa is determined to keep things physical. Still, she finds herself falling for him. Again.

When a former classmate blackmails Marisa with information that will destroy what’s left of her family, Marisa is forced to make a decision: sacrifice Ben to protect her sister, or forsake her family to follow her heart?

It’s not long before Marisa gets caught up in some dirty little lies…

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Ben Williams is the mistake I will always regret, but will never stop making.

He and I have a long and storied history. We were the kind of tumultuous romance that makes for one hell of a cautionary tale. Together, we had a cyclical thing, and the cycle always begins something like this: 

When I’m emotionally vulnerable, Ben shows up looking like sex on a stick, acting like I always hoped that he would. Caring, like he actually gives a shit about what’s going on in my life. Loving, like he wants the two of us to be happy this time around. 

I’m at a low point right now, so of course he knocks on my door out of the blue. This is the way things work between us. Or, it’s the way things worked between us. I haven’t seen Ben in nearly five years.

When I see him standing on the front porch of my brownstone, the surprise is overtaken by a quick wave of familiar desire. He’s dressed casually, like he came over here on a whim. Low-slung jeans, a dark shirt, his hair tousled and messy, like he’s been running his fingers through it all day. God, he looks good, and that is absolutely terrible news for me and my willpower. 

Ever since Ben and I met, I’ve been attracted to him on a cellular level. I’m fine as long as we’re apart, but the second we’re in the same vicinity, every fiber of my being is drawn to him. Even now—even though we haven’t spoken since I broke up with him for the last, devastating time—I feel the pull. 

It’s that pull that makes me open the door, even though I know I shouldn’t. 

I can’t resist him. I’ve tried - it’s impossible. 

“Marisa,” he breathes on an inhale, looking at me like he’s surprised I’m standing right in front of him. Like I might not be real, like maybe he dreamed me up. “How are you?” His blue eyes are dark, and he speaks so softly, like he’s worried he’s going to scare me away. I haven’t been a part of a gentle, kind conversation in a long time. It’s that gentleness in his voice that makes me want to cry, and I’ve done such a good job of avoiding that lately. I’m certainly not going to allow myself to do it around him. 

I’ve managed to keep it together for the most part since my family fell apart in the most scandalous, public way possible. We’re tabloid fodder; papers with our names and faces on them are everywhere. The destruction and downfall of the Blake dynasty is impossible to miss in this city. Some people are delighting in it, and I don’t blame them. 

Turns out that my mother and father—the illustrious Gloria and James—aren’t the people that my sister and I thought they were. They’re exactly who the Feds thought they were, though, given the incredibly damning case they’ve built up against Mom and Dad, details of which are all over the evening news these days. 

That’s why Ben is here, I’m sure of it. This is what he does: he shows up when I’m feeling low, and somehow manages to leave me feeling even lower. Still, he’s one of a very few friends—past or present—who has contacted me since this scandal broke, so I’m reluctant to send him away. 

Plus, that whole can’t-resist-him thing is still in play here.

So, Ben wants to know how I’m doing? “Not well,” I tell him. 

He holds out a bottle of my favorite wine and says, “I was going to wait until the Murphy benefit to talk to you, but I read something this morning that made me think that I shouldn’t wait.” 

I let out a short little sigh of relief, glad that he decided not to rehash whatever terrible thing he read about my family this morning that made him think that he needed to check in on me. The very last thing I want to hear about tonight is my parents. At this point, I feel like I could do without hearing about them ever again. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ben asks. 

I shake my head. I don’t want to talk about it, especially not with him. Besides, talking? That’s not what Ben and I do. We fuck, and then I try to turn that into some kind of a relationship. I give it my all, but he inevitably cheats on me, and breaks my heart. Then he begs me for forgiveness, and asks for another chance. Like a fool, I always give him one. 

Always gave him one. 

I’ve learned my lesson, and now I’m smart enough to know that I can only rely on Ben for mind-blowing orgasms. He’s amazing in bed. Out of it? Not so much. Whenever I expect or hope for anything more from him, I get my heart broken, and I can’t handle any more heartbreak right now. His body was the only thing that he ever freely gave to me, and sex with him had been almost…transcendent. Ben always used sex to make me feel better, so there’s no doubt in my mind that’s what he’s here for tonight. There’s no use in trying for anything more when that only ever ends badly for me. 

So, I decide to take the few hours of bliss that Ben is offering to me, and leave it at that. 

I invite him inside, push myself up onto my tiptoes, and kiss him. 

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Cassie Cross is a Maryland native and a romantic at heart, who lives outside of Baltimore with her two dogs and a closet full of shoes. Cassie’s fondness for swoon-worthy men and strong women are the inspiration for most of her stories, and when she’s not busy writing a book, you’ll probably find her eating takeout and indulging in her love of 80′s sitcoms.

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Don't Miss the first in the Dirty Little Series...

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

AMAZON

Men of Mayhem Anthology

Title: Men of Mayhem (A Mafia Anthology)

Authors: J.L. Beck, Lisa Cardiff, J.L. Drake, Douglas Esper, E.J. Fechenda, Marita A. Hansen, Soraya Naomi, Ginger Ring, Amy Rachiele, Elle Raven, Sara Schoen, and Ashlee Taylor

Genre: Mafia/Mob Romance

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Sometimes the line between good and bad simply depends which side you’re on…

Good guys can have unsavory secrets, while so-called criminals can live by a code of ethics rivaling that of any law enforcement agency. Bending the law for money, power, or revenge is one thing, but what if you’re bending it for your family—for love? 

Who would choose to become involved with a man who walks on the dark side…

Some men will go to any lengths, legal or not, and make no apologies to protect their way of life and all they hold dear. But you don’t always choose who you love, and sometimes you just have to decide if you’re bold enough to risk it all and go along for the ride.

Thirteen masterful authors come together to present Men of Mayhem. 

Compelling stories of loyalty and passion, love and lust, in which the moral and ethical lines are blurred, and call into question the notions of right and wrong. 

What could be more exciting than taking a leap of faith…and landing in the arms of the last man you’d expect—but the only one who truly makes you feel alive?

What if your road to happiness leads to…

Men of Mayhem

​Enforcing Fate by Amy Rachiele

How We Came To Be by Ashlee Taylor

A Late Night Bang by Douglas Esper

Drago by EJ Fechenda

Madison's Mobster by Ginger Ring

Code of Silence by JL Drake

Infringe by JL Beck

Calabrese by Elle Raven

Gian by Lisa Cardiff

Vincenzo by Marita Hansen

One Shot by Mia Hoddell

Fatal Attraction by Sara Schoen

For Cesare by Soraya Naomi

   

Amy Rachiele – “Enforcing Fate”

​Amy Rachiele is a widowed military spouse who spent many years volunteering and on staff for the Army National Guard and Department of Veteran Affairs with family support, family readiness, as well as, families of the Fallen. Amy devoted 10 years to teaching at-risk students in the Providence School System. She holds a Master's degree from Rhode Island College in English and Secondary Education. Besides writing, she is a reader, tea-er, shifter-lovin’, Sci-fi junkie, who enjoys scrapbooking, sewing, and traveling. Amy lives in Massachusetts with her son.

 

Ashlee Taylor – “How We Came To Be”

​Ashlee Taylor has always loved to read. She was practically born with a book in hand. She even wrote short stories and vignettes for fun at age eleven. As she grew up reading was put to the side but the book Fifty Shades of Grey brought back the love of the written word. Swallowing every book she could get her hands on while befriending authors. Eventually becoming a beta reader and helping authors work out critical scenes and plot progressions. Through this process, Ashlee decided to write the stories in her head.

Douglas Esper – “A Late Night Bang”

​For a man as nonathletic as Douglas Esper is, he sure enjoys juggling. Well, juggling projects anyway. Writer, blogger, musician, producer, and scotch drinker, Douglas always has something to do. His recent publishing credits include a novel, A Life of Inches (Limitless Publishing), a short story, My Wife’s Favorite (Scout Media), an essay, It’s Just a Bag of Peanuts (AHTI publishing), and a collection of songs with the band Indoria titled, There’s a Gleam (ApproachingStorm records). Douglas is currently ghostwriting a book with rock vocalist Chuck Mosley and editing his second novel, a suspense thriller titled, In the Watershed.

EJ Fechenda – “Drago”

E.J. Fechenda has lived in Philadelphia, Phoenix and now calls Portland, Maine home where she is a wife, stepmom, and pet parent all while working full time. Crazy is how she likes it. She has a degree in Journalism from Temple University and her short stories have been published in Suspense Magazine, the 2010 and 2011 Aspiring Writers Anthologies, and in the Indies Unlimited 2012 Flash Fiction Anthology. In addition to writing The New Mafia Trilogy, she is working on The Ghosts Stories Trilogy. E.J. is a member of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and co-founder of the fiction reading series, “Lit: Readings & Libations” which is held semi-quarterly in Portland.

 

Ginger Ring – “Madison's Mobster”

Ginger Ring is an eclectic, Midwestern girl with a weakness for cheese, dark chocolate, and the Green Bay Packers. She loves reading, traveling, watching great movies, and has a quirky sense of humor. Publishing a book has been a lifelong dream of hers and she is excited to share her romantic stories with you. Her heroines are classy, sassy and in search of love and adventure. When Ginger isn’t tracking down old gangster haunts or stopping at historical landmarks, you can find her on the backwaters of the Mississippi River fishing with her husband.

 

JL Drake – “Code of Silence”

J. L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to Southern California where she lives with her husband and two children. When she's not writing she loves to spend time with her family, travelling or just enjoying a night at home. One thing you might notice in her books is her love for the four seasons. Growing up on the east coast of Canada the change in the seasons is in her blood and is often mentioned in her writing. An avid reader of James Patterson, J.L. Drake has often found herself inspired by his many stories of mystery and intrigue. She hopes you will enjoy her stories as much as she has enjoyed writing them.

 

JL Beck – “Infringe”

J.L. Beck is the best selling author of numerous books including Indebted, Inevitable, Invincible, and The Bittersweet Series. She's best known for weaving a tale, that ends with your mouth hanging open, and your hands gripping the edge of your seat. She's a no holds bar author who enjoys spending time with her husband of seven years, three year old hellion, and Hatchi the fur baby. She calls Wisconsin home, but loves to travel. In her free time you can catch her watching bad reality tv, cooking, reading books, or spending time outdoors.

Elle Raven – “Calabrese”

Elle Raven is an Aussie author who lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her husband and three young children. Elle can usually be found with her iPad or laptop computer permanently glued to her. She began writing from a very young age. In fact Elle used to write plays and musicals when she was in high school. Having such a flamboyant personality she even performed in them herself Always an ‘actress’ and always the star. Elle loves reading and writing about an alpha-male hero. If she can’t read about one that is alpha enough to suit her she will take it upon herself to write one. Elle’s books will feature an alpha-male hero who will come tumbling to his knees in lust and love when he finally meets the heroine of his dreams. Rest assured that in an Elle Raven book, the hero will never cheat. Elle would love to hear from you. Please email her or visit her Facebook page. She loves connecting with people and having a chat with the readers about her books or any other books you may have in common.

Lisa Cardiff – “Gian”

After spending years practicing law and a million other things, Lisa decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and she must confess that inventing characters is so much more fun than writing contracts and legal briefs. A native of Colorado, she lives with her husband and three children in Denver. When she isn’t managing the chaos of raising three children and owning her own business, she can be found reading or writing a book.

Marita Hansen – “Vincenzo”

NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: I'm a true blue Aucklander, born and bred in New Zealand. I tend to write about cultures I have connections to, such as Croatian and Maori. I would love to visit Croatia again as I have family there. At the moment I'm living in Singapore, but will be back in New Zealand next year, possibly earlier. SPORTS: As a teen my favourite sports were karate, badmington, and running. I also did unarmed combat and played in a touch rugby team (my gym teacher made me do the last one!) Now I stick to running and have completed a marathon. CAREER PATH: I started off as a Graphic Designer, then went to Auckland University, where I got a BA degree in Art History and Italian Studies and a post-graduate Honours degree in Art History. I worked in the Art History field, then became a full-time artist, doing commissions. I eventually lost all of my senses and gave it up to be a poor, starving writer, smh. FAVOURITE FOODS: I'm vegetarian. I love pasta based foods, tofu, chocolate mousse and golden queen peaches. BAD HABITS: I'm a major procrastinator that can't seem to earn money to save myself! STATUS: Married to my high school sweetheart (which he hates me calling him). We have two kids.

Mia Hoddell – “One Shot”

#1 Amazon bestselling author, Mia Hoddell, lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning. Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder and Not Enough. Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.

 

Sara Schoen – “Fatal Attraction”

Sara Schoen is 20 years old college student studying biology and environmental science. She started writing in middle school, but didn't dedicate to it until high school. She published her wattpad book, Amber Alert, at 19 in November of 2014. She's spent years prior writing a spy series which released the first book in July, and many stand alone books, but for now school is a main priority. You can still find her on wattpad account under xxnightstripexx communicating with fans and other young authors on the site. She hopes to inspire others that dreams can come true at any age, you just have to chase after what you want.

 

Soraya Naomi – “For Cesare”

I was born in South America in 1984 and raised in Europe where I presently reside with my fiancé. I read many genres but favor intense, dark, seductive, and provocative novels where the male character loves fiercely, without remorse or boundaries. I also adore forbidden love tales and have an odd fascination with kidnapping romances. No, I don’t secretly want to be kidnapped, though! I have a passionate obsession with the written word and indulge in chocolate pastries much too often. My debut novel For Fallon (Chicago Syndicate, #1) was released on July 26, 2014. I’m honored that For Fallon won “Best Breakout Novel 2014” in the Novel Grounds Semi Annual Literary Awards.