Twisted Vows of Seduction

by N’Tyse

  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: Never Tell Your Secrets.

  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).

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  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.

  Prologue

  “Don’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!”

  1

  “A new beginning…a new beginning…” Nadine murmured rep
eatedly. 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.

  She disappointedly looked down at her left ring finger—no engagement ring. Worse, no wedding ring! It didn’t take her long after that to realize that she had been dreaming all along. And like all the other dreams, this one felt just as real.

  Jeff had not proposed to Nadine the previous day at work as she had dreamt. In fact, she had not seen or heard from Jeff at all this week, which may have been the prime reason behind all her imaginings. She rationalized that her dreams were a sign that he was getting ready to propose. A premonition, or maybe it could have been that right now at this very moment, he was tossing and turning in his own bed, trying to figure out the best way to ask her for her hand in marriage, and she was only having a telepathic moment.

  Nadine inhaled sharply before expelling a bout of wishful thinking. After all of those years of being the other woman, the mistress, the silent partner and puppet in an orchestrated three-way affair, she thought by now she would be inured to waking up in her own bed, without him there next to her. She assumed she was acclimatized to the disappointment, the hurt, and all those other hopeless feelings that she occasionally allowed to take center stage. However, the truth was that she would never allow herself to be content with any role other than wife. Hell, she was even ashamed that she’d let him string her along this long.

  Nadine eased herself from the bed and walked over to her screaming baby. Their son, Canvas Demond Jackson, was eleven months now and was starting to look more and more like Jeff every day. He had his warm mahogany complexion, thick and defined brows, mesmerizing brown eyes, and soft black hair. Whereas Jeff’s natural wavy hair was kept in a Caesar, Canvas had baby-fine, soft tight curls. Even the way Canvas smiled was identical to his father.

  Nadine didn’t regret her decision to keep her son after strongly considering putting him up for adoption, but she couldn’t help but question how things would be between her and Jeff if she had. She hadn’t done herself any special favors getting involved with Jeff, and since she was being totally real nowadays, the Mandingo dick wasn’t worth any of the heartache and drama she had sustained during the course of their fucking-while-pending-marriage- courtship. She silently cursed the time and energy she had wasted on him. It had been all for nothing, or at least almost nothing.

  “Mama’s here, baby,” Nadine sang to Canvas as she scooped him up from the toddler bed, a cherrywood bed frame complete with yellow, green, and baby blue bedding that clashed with all of her bedroom décor. Her entire room had been transformed into a nursery, which was all the more reason why she felt the exigency to upgrade to something more comfortable for her and Canvas. She loved her contemporary 3,500 square-foot, one-bedroom condominium, which was situated in a secluded back quadrant of an elegant enclave in uptown Dallas. It had been home for over five years, but ever since she’d had her son, it had felt more and more like a shotgun shack.

  “Did you have a bad dream?” she whispered softly, rocking him in her arms. She walked Canvas over to her bed and cuddled right next to him. She sang lullabies and stared at him until he drifted right back off to sleep.

  Fully awake now, Nadine glanced over at the clock on her fireplace mantle. She wondered where, what, who, Jeff and his dick were inside of at this very moment. It was one o’clock in the morning and she struggled with whether or not she should call him so late in the hour to talk about what was still bothering her and depriving her of much needed rest.

  She laid her head, which was covered in a purple silk scarf, back against the pillow and watched the ceiling fan spin. Her baby’s soft snores were perfect reminders of why she shouldn’t call, care, or worry about his ass. After all, he didn’t bother calling to check up on his son or to even ask if she needed anything for him. It took her back to the conversation they’d had last week right after they’d finished making steamy, sweet, passionate…sex. She had suggested Jeff sell the house so that he and Deandra could move in with her and Canvas. It didn’t matter so much that she didn’t really have the space, in fact she never gave it any thought. Her reasoning was that it was time they raised the children together under one roof, as brother and sister. Jeff rejected the idea. Said it was too soon. Too soon for him, too soon for Deandra. He came up with every excuse in the book, then drove his point home by reminding her that Denise had only been dead a year, as if Nadine had somehow lost all recollection of her best friend. How could she ever forget the day they’d buried her best friend.

  Nadine decided not to press the
move-in issue any further, but she refused to give up entirely. They still had another bridge to cross. She argued that Canvas needed his father’s time and affection as much as Deandra did. She felt that Jeff was showing favoritism between the children and she wasn’t afraid to confront him about it. Canvas was his child too and he didn’t deserve his father’s neglect. If it weren’t for all Jeff’s empty promises, maybe she wouldn’t have felt the void she was feeling now. The contempt. She had been robbed of everything she had imagined for them, and for that reason, she despised Jeff. She sank into a deep sulk as she recalled how he’d reacted when she brought up marriage.

  “When will it ever happen? Every time I try to bring it up, you skate around it. I want a husband, not a boy toy, Jeff,” Nadine retorted. “Is that too much to ask of you?”

  “I keep telling you to give me more time.”

  “Pssst! I’ve given you plenty of that already. You either want to marry me or you don’t.”

  “Nadine, I don’t need the extra pressure right now!” Jeff matched her tone. “I’m not rushing into this. Time! That’s all a brother’s asking for.”

  Nadine shot daggers with her eyes. She marched right into the kitchen and snatched the photo calendar of Canvas off the refrigerator door so hard the magnetic piece fell off in the process. She walked over to where Jeff stood, slapped the calendar on the counter, then located an ink pen and practically shoved it in his right hand. As unannounced tears slid down her face, she looked him dead in the eyes. “Your time is up.” There was a moment of pause as her words hung in the air. “When are you going to make me your wife?”

  Nadine had asked Jeff that question in the midst of their most recent discussion, stressing that she needed a specific date because she and Canvas had been on the back burner long enough. Jeff hadn’t responded to her liking. She’d given him an ultimatum. One thing had been said after another. It hadn’t ended well, and now, she hadn’t heard one single word from him.