He's an Oxonian, licensed therapist, and man of faith, preparing to take over the largest Pentecostal church in New York. She's an around-the-way girl from Harlem, struggling with three jobs and school to make ends meet for so many.

Meet Trent Bailey, who is fighting for the right to continue his stellar professional football career after enduring striking legal woes in the recent past. Trent cannot and will not blow his second chance for anyone; after all, this is the blessing he's been praying for. After receiving confirmation that staying focused is all he needs, it's what he aims to do. No distractions. That's until he bumps into two unexpected overnight guests.

Fall in line or get replaced. That's how my businesses operate. Being named the Dallas representative for the Mr. Black Organization was an honor, not a job. However, it's not easy to change the way someone maneuvers. I was determined to make this year's Juneteenth celebration unlike anything this city had seen before, starting with a road trip focused on Black culture. I had a plan, my purpose was clear, and my team was set. Until a wild-card photographer got thrown in the mix.

He's excruciatingly handsome, and well, fine as hell. He's also my captor. He won't take his eyes off me. He won't let me go. All I can do is hope he'll let me live.

In this collection are updated stories from some of your favorite Valentines.

Retired hitwoman Celine Briggs loved few people in this world; Her husband Caleb, and her ex-handler, Brian Devereaux. When Celine took her marital vows, she exchanged the life of guns, drugs, and violence for the peaceful life as Caleb's wife. However, not all things buried stay hidden.

Ever had a man to put you first? Prioritize your presence. Emphasize your existence. Maintain his focus... on you? Over everything? As if it was nothing? I hadn’t either, not until him. Not until Harlem Knight.

Every family has secrets. Even the families you least expect. Years ago, the leaders of two prominent families agreed on a treaty that would cloak the forbidden shadows of desire with darkness, hiding a romance that was never supposed to happen. An ultimate betrayal momentarily broke the organization apart. Now, the group has reformed with new rules, new values, and new ruthless ways of silencing their enemies.

Angie is taking a serious break from dating. At least, she thought she was until she comes across the finest man she’s ever seen — the new handyman in her building. Angie knows what she wants in a man, and Law doesn't seem to be it. But that doesn’t mean she can’t get to know him, right? Law is focused on rebuilding his life as a free man. That rebuild doesn’t include getting involved with anyone, especially not the bougie girl at his job who always needs something fixed.

Everyone who knows Veronica "Roni" Walker understands there is one thing she does not play about, Halloween. After back-to-back years of subpar celebrations with her friends, Roni opts to do something totally different to cap off the spooky season. Like booking a solo, weekend stay at a haunted bed & breakfast, different. The Glosbe Grove Inn is a once storied hotel near Maryland's Chesapeake Bay.

Maaz Zyad, number ninety-seven of the Connecticut Kings, wasn't a big name in his first three seasons in the League. Thanks to his temperamental girlfriend posting and tweeting her every grievance about the League and Kings franchise, Zyad's become one of the most talked about players in the media. The Kings cut him a contract extension with a huge pay increase under one condition. He had to get rid of the hyper-poster to keep his crown. That was an easy fix for Maaz. He made the swift decision and called on the competent team at Love Is Action sports agency.

Kashmir Slayton is a man of means along with an insatiable need to have everything he wants. Currently turning a new leaf, an entrancer, who has slipped through his fingers, is pushing him to be the man he used to be. Recklessness and a raging temperament will cause him to turn the city upside down to get her back in his grasps. Lehana Wilson is on her last ounce of luck and patience. As she works from sun up to sun down to take care of an ailing grandmother, she is trying her best to keep her head above water.

Years of suppressing my truest desires and most prominent needs in our relationship had my emotions all over the place, heart hardening and every element that made me a woman seem like a flaw. The softness that I was founded on wasn’t welcomed. Over the years, I’d managed to dilute my vulnerability, conceal my pain and deal with my feelings alone. I was merely a shell of the woman that I’d entered the relationship as. But, today, I was reclaiming my power.| This is a novella. |

Ember and Judah have loved each other since children, but business interests and family ties have kept them apart. While Judah is trying to protect his precious empire, Ember is trying to protect her heart—even if it means ending their long-term affair.

In this collection are updated stories from some of your favorite Valentines.