A Brush With Obsession

by Theresa Papa

  AND

  Book #3

  RECKLESS OBSESSION

  Jaxson Pope is the handsome, charismatic player who has many talents in his arsenal. He’s a master at hypnosis and the head of his family’s law firm. Jax is well known as a phenomenal lover, a result of his ongoing sex addiction. The tug of war between two women brings his life into a tailspin.

  Jennifer perceives Jax as her protector when he hides her from dangerous criminals who want her dead. Turns out, he supplies the danger when he fails to shield her from the insanity that is Amanda.

  Amanda is Jaxson’s jealous sex partner that he’s known since childhood. Amanda’s feelings for Jax are obsessive, but he’s been her constant lifeline to her lucidity.

  Amanda has a hold over Jax. Just how strong is that bond?

  Is Jaxson willing to sacrifice it?

  Make sure you visit the Art Imitates Life in the back of every one of Theresa’s books. It’s fun to see where ideas are born.

  Please read on after the acknowledgements for a preview of Immoral Obsession.

  Note from the Author

  “Art imitates life” is true about certain details in the story of Samantha and Nico. It might be interesting for you to know some of the elements that are somewhat true in the story.

  Samantha’s little condo on the lake is a real place that my husband and I bought so our daughter could live there while attending Loyola University. Luther is the parking attendant at the garage. The beach is accessible for the wave runners too.

  My husband was a hair stylist and worked on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. He and I really had our first date at the Midwest Beauty Show.

  The scene where Giselle dies is unfortunately loosely based on a real-life scenario. The circumstances in the book are, of course fiction. The accident occurred over 40 years ago.

  The outward description of Club Beta is loosely based on the old Limelight nightclub in Chicago.

  The bar Sam and Jen went to in Wrigleyville really exists, including the great tacos and margaritas.

  The Dance Festival in Grant Park where Nico and Sam learned the tango is real and held annually.

  Baconfest is REAL! For all you bacon lovers.

  Thank you so much for reading A Brush With Obsession, book one in the Pope Family Trilogy. If you liked this story, please consider the second and third story in the Trilogy. Immoral Obsession and Reckless Obsession follow Elizabeth, Tony, Jaxson, Jennifer, and Amanda. There are also cameos of Nico and Samantha.

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  Hopefully, you were entertained and maybe the romance in my books added a little spice to your love life. If you enjoyed them, please consider leaving a review or recommending to a friend. Thank you again for your support!

  About the Author

  Theresa is a self-published author of fiction. Originally, from a suburb just outside of Chicago, she now resides in Arizona living out her dream of creating a life she never needs a vacation from. She and her husband of thirty-two years have two daughters who are the most important part of their world. Theresa's big Italian family extends throughout the country with a rich and flavorful history. Much of that history spurs ideas for the stories she creates.

  Acknowledgements

  First to the Lord, thank you for all our blessings and the beauty that surrounds us.

  To my loving husband, who always believes in me no matter what task I attempt. You’ve always been my biggest cheering section whether it’s cooking a new recipe or to start a new job. Thanks for always giving me courage and self esteem with your words. To write a love story wouldn’t be authentic without the true love in my life that you provide. All the sexy heroes that I create for the readers will have a little bit of you in them somewhere. But for me, it’s always you.

  To my intelligent and beautiful daughters, who have made me so very proud with their accomplishments. Thank you for putting up with my wayward sense of humor.

  To my sister, the first set of eyes to read my books. Thanks for your help in editing my first drafts. It’s great to know I have someone to trust to give me an honest opinion. I can count on you always, because my big sis has my back.

  To my mother-in-law, who loved me in spite of my dirty mind. Also, thanks to her for inspiring the character of Samantha Marconi’s grandmother and for all the love and support.

  To my Editors, thank you for polishing the story into a novel worthy of my readers.

  To my Cover Artist, thank you for taking my ideas and creating a provocative and professional cover that will draw readers into the obsession.

  To my daughter Jaclyn for volunteering to be my cover model and my future son-in-law, Andrew Dickerson for taking the professional photos. Thank you both for your time and support.

  To my Formatter, thank you so much for your patience and sharing your wisdom to a first-time author.

  To my Readers: Hopefully you will get as much joy from my work as I received from creating it. It is a true blessing to have the opportunity to fill your free time with my stories. Thanks for choosing my book. Your reviews are greatly appreciated. Read on for a preview of the second installment of the Pope Family Trilogy, Immoral Obsession. Or you can use this link (https://theresapapa.com/the-pope-family-trilogy) to the next two books in the trilogy.

  Immoral Obsession

  By Theresa Papa

  Chapter 1

  Liz Pope

  Composure is my friend as I kneel at the feet of the son of the devil. Ignoring the stiffness in my neck, I keep my head down, my dark brown hair forming a veil around my face. My blurry eyes try to focus on the torn-up gray linoleum beneath my bruised knees. Purple, brown, and yellow marks are beginning to heal on my fair complexion. The stench of cigarette smoke floats all around me like a suffocating cloak. I keep my hands on my thighs and summon all my will to remain motionless. The fatigue and lethargy are still evident in my limbs from the drugs this son of a bitch shot into me.

  The new manager of Club Beta, Marcus Dent, brutally captured me. One nasty prick from a hypodermic needle rendered me unconscious for a while, maybe even for a few days. The truth is, I would have had a small chance to fight him with all the self-defense training I’ve undergone, but my preoccupation with revenge on his father made me slow. This should teach me that revenge is never a good idea. He had the element of surprise on his side. My head was not in the game, and I fucked up.

  In my peripheral vision, I see his size humungous combat boots. They remind me of other little details. Namely, that my five-foot, five inch, one-hundred-and-twenty-five pounds is no match for his six feet two, probably two-hundred-and-twenty-pound stature. Now here I am, after waking up on the filthy bathroom floor this morning to my new reality. Still fresh in my memory is the extremely sharp blade he held to my throat while he clued me in on the reason I’m his captive.

  “Aren’t you my little slut of gold at the end of my perverted rainbow? You’ll make a good little sex slave while we wait for word from my fucking father.” Then he threw me to the floor before he continued his vengeful monologue in a low and scratchy voice.

  “You know why my father and I have different last names? Asshole never acknowledged me as his son. Richard Harrington fucked my mother, Eliza Dent, when she was only fourteen and made me. She had no family, no one, and when the asshole had no further use for her, he tossed her out on the street. A foster family took us in, but then she disappeared. She fucking left me! That bitch left me before I could hold my own goddam
n head up. Anyway, Eliza left a letter explaining exactly who my scumbag father is, and in it, she urged me to seek my fucking rightful inheritance. You, my little whore, are the key in my plan to do that.”

  I tried to reason with him. After I strained to clear my parched throat, I pleaded, “Please let me go, and we can team up to make your asshole father pay for his sins. Look at it this way. I was his victim just as your mother was, only his abuse began when I was even younger than her.”

  “There’s no fucking mercy or pity in this soul, especially where my mother’s concerned. She left me like a piece of garbage!” He pounded his thumb into his chest.

  Then he grabbed me by the hair and made me kneel before him.

  “Now, all that fucking matters to me is the money! It will grant me freedom from this fucked-up life. The money you bring in here will keep me happy until my daddy pays me a million dollars for your sweet ass.”

  His daddy is the devil himself who took everything from me at the ripe young age of five with the help of his advocate. He and his advocate were best friends with sick, perverted minds who fed off each other in disturbing, deviant ways. My own flesh and blood, my own father, was the devil’s advocate. Used as a pawn in their game of sexual pedophilia, I was betrayed by the one man a little girl looks up to for love and protection. When I was twenty-one, my father went into the fires of hell. That was three years ago, but the devil is still alive, and I am his main obsession. His name is Richard Harrington III.

  Read more of the Pope Family Trilogy.

  https://theresapapa.com/the-pope-family-trilogy

  Watch for the new series on the Dragonetti Family

  https://theresapapa.com/the-dragonetti-trilogy

  If you’d like to be notified when these and subsequent books are released, please click here: https://theresapapa.com/be-updated.