When Caroline Randall showed up at my door with the Italian mob after her and nowhere else to go, I took her in. Then I took off my belt and taught her what happens to naughty girls who get themselves in over their heads and need their best friend's dad to bail them out.

He doesn't play by the rules. He makes them. The first time Dimitrios Nomikos made me scream his name, I'd run from him and he'd caught me, bared me, and spanked my ass bright red. The second time I was bound to his bed, naked and helpless as this billionaire Greek mafia kingpin who's known me since I was a little girl flipped me over and took me in the most shameful way possible. But I won't be running from him again tonight. Because today he made me his wife. Publisher's Note: The Boss is the first book in the Vengeful Empire series but can be read as a standalone.

Kane Romano is the most handsome, powerful man I’ve ever met. He’s also the man holding me captive. My asshole of a step-dad found himself on the wrong side of the mafia, and then offered me up in exchange for his life. How does he have the right? I’m 18 years old, and my step-dad doesn’t own me. The problem is, Kane Romano agrees. Everyone knows you don't fight with a Romano, unless you want to end up in an unmarked grave. I should be scared, but every time I look into those dark eyes, I feel safe and protected.

I wake up chained to the bed of a stranger. He says I’m his wife. I have nothing—no money. No friends. No escape. He’s everything I never imagined: ruthless, calculating, feared. A beautiful monster with a face like a god’s, cold and untouchable. A mafia kingpin whose wealth could buy empires and whose power makes the world tremble. My captor. My husband.

I thought I was late for my cousin’s wedding, but the wedding turned out to be for me... If I’d known the sexy arrogant guy in the elevator was my future husband, I probably would have turned and ran. My own father sold me out, promising my hand in marriage to Alexei Koslov, a sexy, arrogant bratva boss. The last thing I want to do is get married, but nobody says no to the Koslov bratva.

Valachi, the name of a rival mafia family, was the last word on my mother's dying lips. After years of careful deceit and planning, my moment of revenge has finally arrived. The head of the Valachi family has died, leaving his innocent daughter vulnerable. She is forced to take my hand in an arranged marriage. By the time she learns my true identity, it will be too late. As her new husband, I will have complete control over her. I am the enemy in her bed.

He made me his before I even knew his name. When a gorgeous brute with piercing eyes and a body meant for sin washed up at my lakeshore beach, everything about him screamed out in warning. But I was still soaking wet and ready for him when he stripped me bare, his mouth, his hands, and his belt all demanding my complete surrender.

What if your boss asked you to have his baby? With one catch: You have to do it the old-fashioned way. Normally, I would've told him to take his offer and shove it. But my mom needs my help. And I can't afford to save her myself. In comes Arsen Adamov with a devil's deal on a silver platter. Have his baby. Then walk away—no strings attached. I'd do anything for my mom. And spending a night with my gorgeous, dangerous, billionaire boss isn't exactly torture.

I stumbled across something I wasn’t supposed to discover. I saw something I wasn’t meant to see, and now I’m an alibi for a killer. He’s the most feared and powerful man in the New York underworld. I don’t have a choice but to do as he says. But he commands so much more than just my testimony.

Until today I knew Nico Marciano only as my godfather, the man who provided for me since my father's death when I was a little girl. But when I witnessed a brutal mob killing and my life was put in danger, I quickly discovered that he's also one of the most powerful mafia dons in Sicily.

The first time I saw him, I knew I'd never want another man the way I wanted him. The second time, I drank a bottle of his most expensive cognac, which I'd never be able to afford on my own. And the third time… well, he caught me stealing from him. Stealing from the head of the Irish Mafia wasn't smart. But then I never claimed to be. Now I owed him a debt… a big one. And it couldn't be settled with money, or favors.

This isn't the first time I've imagined tearing Jenna's clothes off and reddening her ass with my belt, then pinning her to the bed and taking her so roughly she can't help screaming my name. But it's the first time it's about to really happen. Teaching my daughter's nineteen-year-old best friend all the ways a billionaire mobster can make a girl like her blush and beg and come would have been over the line even for me.

He may be dangerous, but I can’t resist the urge to call him daddy. A secret kink I’ve never explored draws me to an underground club. My new friend and colleague is a regular member and convinces me to join her. What I didn’t know is the place is run by an Irish crime gang. Even worse, the leader of the gang takes an interest in me. Something tells me he’s not used to taking no for an answer. Devlin Murphy is six foot four of pure muscle, plastered in tattoos. He has dark eyes you could lose yourself in and an accent to die for.

An unlikely savior with large, possessive hands, a voice as deep and rich as dark chocolate, and a tongue as quick and hot as lightning. The second Avel tossed me over his broad shoulder, I knew I could never walk away. He made me feel small, safe, and protected, but only because there was no man as dangerous as him. He offered me protection, but not without consequences. Because once you join the mafia, you can never leave, and once you get pregnant with the boss's baby, you belong to him forever.

Arrogant, dangerous, and unbelievably skilled with his tongue, Luka is a ruthless bratva boss who has a reputation for playing it fast and loose. And I've fallen right into his possessive hands. He might be exceedingly handsome and wealthy, but that doesn't forgive him for being a notorious criminal mastermind. Maybe I should've thought twice before crawling into bed with him. And perhaps it would've been wise to use protection instead of getting lost in his fierce gaze and perfect abs.

Lana Fleming’s sister has vanished from the set of TV’s hottest show, and no one seems to care. Desperate for answers, Lana sneaks in as an extra, only to get stranded with Griffin Hart, an A-list action star with a reputation for good abs and bad decisions. Though Griffin didn’t expect to be cast as a librarian’s sidekick in a real-life thriller, he’s weirdly into it—and into her. Even more unsettling—she sees right through his playboy persona. But their meet-cute soon turns deadly when they uncover a Hollywood scandal for the ages.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

Liv’s happy with life in her thirties. She has two cats, one BFF, and no boyfriend, which is just how she likes it. Plus, she loves working at a not-for-profit software company where she can be her authentically autistic self. This is her happy ever after. But when her beloved firm merges with a repulsive rival, Liv finds herself competing with her sort-of-ex for the top job. Sure, Finn had been Liv’s best friend, with his nerdy good looks and their shared love of Tolkien, but there was that one night, their song, and … well, she doesn’t like to talk about it.

Meet Randi Burnett—she’s brilliant, she’s beautiful, and she works for the bride. Missing groom? Intoxicated in-laws? Crying ring-bearer? You name it, she wrangles it. Too bad her personal life isn’t thriving like her side gig as a bridesmaid for hire. Recently dumped, Randi throws herself into her biggest challenge yet when she’s hired as a maid of honor and pretend best friend for an ice queen bride. There’s just one problem—the best man is infuriating, overprotective, and anti-marriage.

When Caroline Randall showed up at my door with the Italian mob after her and nowhere else to go, I took her in. Then I took off my belt and taught her what happens to naughty girls who get themselves in over their heads and need their best friend's dad to bail them out.

Until today I knew Nico Marciano only as my godfather, the man who provided for me since my father's death when I was a little girl. But when I witnessed a brutal mob killing and my life was put in danger, I quickly discovered that he's also one of the most powerful mafia dons in Sicily.

Marrying her was my duty. Falling for her was my undoing. It was my idea to kidnap the daughter of my father’s rival. In my defense, I never expected that marrying her would be a part of the plan.

I can still remember the moment I first heard Cyrus Holt's deep, commanding voice. I didn't know who he was or about the life he'd left behind. I was just a trembling orphan on the run from a monster, and he was the man offering me shelter and not giving me a choice about it. This boss of bosses didn't assign someone else to watch over me. He slept on the floor next to my bed when I woke up scared, then spanked me like a naughty little girl when I lied to him. He could have claimed me that night, ravaging me without mercy or remorse. But he didn't.

Of two things I'm certain: When something sounds too good to be true, it is; and when Alexius Del Rossa makes you a deal, you run far away and never look back. Me? I didn't run. I stayed. I opened that envelope, and I accepted his offer. Why? Because my life was a mess and on a downward spiral to a big, fat nothing. And he just offered me everything in exchange for six months of my life. It was supposed to be a simple arrangement, but I learned the hard way that nothing is simple when it comes to Alexius.

D'Artagnan Conti was born into poverty, raised to be a soldier in my father's savage regime. I grew up in luxury, longing to escape my family's cruel machinations, and the young man with sapphire eyes and the voice of an angel became not just my forbidden crush but my everything. Then he was taken from me, killed in a brutal attack by our enemies. Or so I was led to believe....

Birthdays. I loathed them. Especially when my best friend’s present included a tarot card reading. Skeptical, when I was warned I’d meet a dangerous wolf who would change my life, I laughed. Dating was the last thing on my mind. However, the young woman was right.

On a dark, stormy night, a stranger stripped me bare in my own hotel room, spanked my ass red, and then pinned me to the bed and turned my most shameful fantasies into raw, filthy reality.

I fell in love with a boy who became my everything. Keane Stone was my first love. I thought I’d grow old with him. We had a future filled with promises, until one fateful night. One tragic accident, and just like that, he slipped into a coma. For years, I clung to hope; holding on to every 'what if.' But life doesn’t stand still. Eventually, I had to learn how to live again. Grief clung to me like a second skin when Haydn Wesford came into my life. He’s a professional hockey goalie with a natural instinct to protect.

Her father promised me life on the legal side if I saved his only daughter. I was her last hope. Something about this rich, spoiled princess captured me from the moment I laid my eyes on her. This green-eyed beauty made me want things I never had. She was untouchable. If I were decent, I’d keep my distance. But God knew I was the worst kind of sinner. She shouldn’t have wanted my touch. Now she was mine.

It all starts with a bucket list and a romance novel…. I’ve known Ryder McAdams my entire life. We’re neighbors and our families are besties. He’s also friends and teammates with my younger brother, Maverick. But Ryder and me? We’ve never been close. In fact, I’ve always gotten the distinct impression he doesn’t like me very much. He goes out of his way to ignore me. Know what makes it worse?

In my world, I take what I want. Even her. I'm her godfather. I shouldn't be pushing her down to her knees and making use of that sassy mouth, let alone tearing her clothes off, belting her bare ass, and then ravaging her virgin body as she screams my name. But I'll do all of that and much more as I teach her what it means to belong to a man like me. Because I can. Because she's mine.

Dalton Callaghan has it all—success, money, charm, and good looks. But money can't buy him the only thing he ever wanted: her. The day Dalton's father was imprisoned for fraud and embezzlement, he knew the future he had planned was no longer possible. With a life-altering decision to be made, Dalton sent the only girl he ever loved off to college without him. Naddie Sullivan was in love with the boy next door. They shared all their firsts, from the sandbox to prom and everything in between. They were each other's first. Each other's everything.

When I caught her sneaking into my home, I thought Raven was just a girl doing a silly sorority dare, so I set her bare ass on fire with my belt and then taught her a much more shameful lesson. My seed was already dripping down her thighs before I learned she's my enemy's daughter. That's when I decided I would be keeping her. And that I'd be making her my bride.

Tearing off the gilded veneer of elite privilege exposes the sordid scandals, dark secrets, and taboo desires of New York's jaded high society in this dark romance series from best friends and USAT bestselling authors Zoe Blake and Alta Hensley, writing under their new pen name, Blake Hensley.