Twisted Vows of Seduction

Dear Reader:

I recognized N'Tyse's writing talent when I selected her short story, “Caramel Latte,” for my anthology,
Missionary No More.
Later, her story, “Swirl,” appeared in my
Z-Rated: Chocolate Flava 3.
Now N'Tyse returns with a sequel to her fascinating novel,
Twisted Seduction.

Follow the twists in the life of Greg Adams, who believes he's reunited with his deceased lover, Denise, once Naomi enters his world. After creating her image and identity, she is the epitome of Denise and Greg falls into her trap. Meet Jeff who's entangled with two women, Naomi, his former wife's best friend, and Ménage, a stripper. Discover their ploys in this exciting adventure that will keep you guessing until the dramatic conclusion.

N'Tyse truly spins a tale about what her name represents:
N
ever
T
ell
Y
our
S
ecrets.

As always, thanks for supporting the authors of Strebor Books. We try our best to bring you the future in great literature today. We appreciate the love. You can find me on Facebook
@AuthorZane
and on Twitter
@planetzane
.

Blessings,

Publisher

Strebor Books

www.simonandschuster.com

Dedicated to my sister, Satoria (Lady Mink)
.

It never fails. When I get to this part, I have to sit back, hope, and pray that I don't leave anyone out. However, I do seem to get better with every book that I write, because those that were there for me since the beginning of time, are still here, supporting, and cheering me on every step of the way. So there will always be a permanent place in my heart for you, even when the ink on the paper fades. For those that don't know, writing can be very lonely. So when I receive a phone call, an email, or even a shout on Facebook telling me how much you enjoyed one of my books, it reassures me that what I'm doing is all worth it. The late nights, the exhaustion, the sacrifices, etc. All worth it! So there's no doubt about it—I do it for my supporters. I am so grateful to have been blessed with such a powerful gift. Only God could have known what I would do with it. So I thank Him for his favor and I know the best is yet to come.

To my dear loving husband, Cory, I don't know where I would be without you. You bring out the best in me. I pray that our love will last forever and that our fire will continue to burn. And to our beautiful creation, Zanaiah, you are everything I imagined you would be. You are my greatest blessing. The beat to my heart and my sun when it rains. I love you with all my heart. I want to thank my mom, Shirley, and her other half, Joe, for passing out my business cards to every single stranger they see. LOL! So when I received
that phone call from that woman saying she got my card out of the chicken shack, I knew who was behind it. Gotta love my family. To my sisters Satoria (Lady Mink) and Nina, thanks for having my back and proofing my work whenever I need a second pair of eyes. Tanasha, Shaquadra, Donyell, April, Natasha, and Keyome, thanks for reviewing my work as well and listening to my endless wild ideas. You're the best! Adowri, Angelique, April, Aunt Letha, Aunt Brenda, Trish, Crystal, and Drina, thanks for always looking forward to my next project. Thank you to my Strebor family and extended literary friends, Shakir Rashaan, Allison Hobbs, Cairo, Pat Tucker, Shelia Goss, Suzetta Perkins, Curtis Alcutt, Sincere, Anna Black, Abdul, Marcel Terrell, Sanquinta, Paulette Carter, Sh'Moore, Michelle Cuttino, Jada Pearl, Shontrell Wade, Nefarious, Tyiavory, Niyah Moore, C.J. Hudson, Kai, Anna J, Treasure, Nyah Storm, and all those that are on their grind with me. To my agent, Maxine, thanks for all that you've done and continue to do to take my writing career to the next level. Charmaine and Zane, I could never thank you enough. Zane, I treasure every bit of advice you've ever given me and I am so grateful to be a part of the Strebor family. I look forward to what's to come.

And to all the book sellers, libraries, book clubs, bloggers, reviewers, and avid readers that love and share what I do with the world, I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. Johnathan Royal, OOSA, The Dock Bookshop, Sista 2 Sista, Black Expressions, Sisters of Essence, Ms. Poetic, Sonja Powell Cooks, Mz. Lady Stiletto, Martin Roy, Readers Paradise, Ella Curry, EDC Creations, Delta Reviewer, AAMBC, TaNisha Webb, and Joey Pinkney, thank you for promoting literacy and assisting in building an author's platform. We couldn't do it without you.

“D
on't you get it? Neither of those women gave a damn about you. You were nothing more than a paycheck to them, but you were too stupid to realize that. That was
my
money and you had no right!”

“It was ours!”

“No, it was mine!” Vivian lashed out. Greg nearly lost his composure. “But I'll be reimbursed for my troubles once the life insurance pays out, which by the way, I increased after learning of that slut, Denise.” She bestowed upon him a twisted condescending smirk.

Greg detested her. The love and compassion he once felt for his wife, seemingly deserted him. He felt nothing. Only saw her for the true evil bitch that she's always been. The raging veins that protruded from his neck looked more like tiny snakes. His breathing became unsteady as his anger intensified.

“You'll never get away with this!”

“Correction. I already have.”

Greg lunged for the gun and when he did…a loud bang echoed off every wall in the house. He collapsed onto the bed as blazing hot lead tore right through his skull. The earsplitting clap of the gun had his ears ringing, but it was a far cry from church bells. It sounded more like a stick of dynamite had exploded right in front of his face. His vision became a clouded blur, somewhat like a
thick fog, and everything around him seemed to be happening in slow motion.

John Mayer's lyrics sounded as if they were being played backward as he lay there in excruciating pain. Resistance was futile. His wife wanted him to hurt and he was. She'd sought retribution and with every agonizing breath he took, he knew she'd get that and a lump sum of money too. Out of the corner of his right eye, he vaguely saw that their wedding video had been frozen on the part of them sealing their vows. That eternal kiss was the last thing Vivian wanted him to see. The last image she wanted to slow burn in his mind before he succumbed to the fatal gunshot wound.

He couldn't see all the blood spewing from the hole in the left side of his head, but he felt every ounce of it, leaving him weaker by the second. Instead of focusing on the pain, his efforts had been reserved for breathing and trying to remain calm in order to prevent going into hypo-volemic shock.

“Tell Denise I said hello!” she antagonized as she hovered over him. She fumbled around him for a second, then placed his gun in his hand, staging the scene as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. That's what she wanted the police to believe. That's what she would tell family and friends. And that's what she would take to her grave. No one but he and God would really know what had happened here today.

“Please help me,” Greg desperately cried out to his wife. He was at her mercy.

He blinked his eyes and Vivian was gone. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak, only writhe in pain. Death had a chokehold on him and he could feel himself slowly losing consciousness. For now, he still had a rhythm to his heart. But that rhythm slowly became fainter with every breath that he took. He was unsure of
the minutes or seconds he had left as he began to strangle on his own blood. His body started to grow numb. Then cold.

Just before he closed his eyes, he heard a loud yell. It came from a man.

“Dear God! Umm…hold tight, man. I'm going to get you some help. Hello, operator. My next-door neighbor has been shot.” He rattled off the address. “Yes. It looks like he attempted suicide!” Pause. “Yes, he still has a pulse.” Pause. “Okay…okay…please hurry! This man is dying!”

“A
new beginning…a new beginning…” Nadine murmured repeatedly. A soft subtle smile played on her naked thin lips as she settled a warm captivating gaze on her longtime lover and friend, Jeff Jackson. This was that incredible moment that she had been waiting for and the day she had prayed about every single night for four long years. It was all happening now, and while she was flushed with so many different emotions, the only one that truly mattered to her was the joy she felt burning in her heart for the man she had been predestined to marry.

An anxious energy moved intensely through her entire body all while her mind stood calmly at peace as Jeff's proposal sank in. She inhaled every single word like a breath of fresh picked roses in the exact order in which they left his full mahogany, chocolate lips.

“Nadine Collins, will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of becoming my wife
?” Nadine didn't answer him right away. She wanted to savor this moment for as long as she could.

Jeff's speech leading to his proposal had come out so perfect. Almost as though he had rehearsed what he would say to her for months. It was so genuine, touching, and heartfelt that she would have bet money that he'd stolen the lines right out of a romance movie. But stolen or not, at this profound moment and time, they
belonged exclusively to her. And nothing mattered more to Nadine than the crystal-clear picture of their future together, finally, as husband and wife.

Suddenly, a loud wail resonated in her ears, causing a mask of confusion to settle on her now tear-stricken face. Her eyelids twitched but her eyes refused to open. Nadine tried her hardest to focus on Jeff's doe-shaped, bright amber-colored eyes as they stared deeply within hers. Seconds later, he proceeded to slide the platinum two-karat diamond ring on her left finger. Her entire face lit up all at once.

The racing of Nadine's heart sounded like a marching band at a Juneteenth celebration. It was as loud as her thoughts. And as uncontrollable nerves climbed up and down her spine, her arms broke out in chill bumps and the fine prickly hairs on the back of her neck stood tall. His bleared eyes danced within hers, and his dick secretly serenaded her pussy, causing it to blush and sprinkle the crotch of her panties. It was surely beyond obvious to everyone witnessing
her
moment that they had been lovers for some time. But Nadine was mesmerized by her husband-to-be, and oblivious to everyone and everything happening around them. She had chosen to forget about all the drama. She was ready to leave the past behind them so that they could concentrate solely on rebuilding their lives together as one big happy family.

“Yes! I will marry you, Jeff. A new beginning,” Nadine carried on as she intentionally ignored the constant crying for as long as she could until finally, she popped both of her eyes open in dire panic.

Somewhat dazed, she looked around the colossal, excessively furnished bedroom she shared with her son, Canvas. It was lit partially by the moonlight that peeked through the slight opening of her balcony blinds. She had expected to find her entire staff of Platinum Crest Investments and their clients surrounding her.
Expected the women to be crying tears of joy and happiness for her while Jeff was still positioned on one bended knee, pouring out his heart to her. Besides the day that she'd given birth to their son, this was supposed to be one of the most happiest moments of her entire life. Nadine had waited all of her life for
this
man. Been through hell and back for
this
man. But as she slowly came out of her stupor and her vision grew much clearer, she sighed in aggravation. A brutal reality slapped her senseless and shattered her delusional thinking before she could entertain the idea of marriage to her child's father any further.