I’ve never been inside a helicopter. Hell, just sitting inside one makes me giddy. Vince climbs inside the white leather seats, looking as excited as I feel. I grab the headset and slip it over my ears as the pilot climbs in.
The long blades chop the air like knives, and the engine roars to life. I grab his hand and scream into the microphone as the ground lifts under our feet. The glass dome surrounding us gives the illusion of floating in midair. I watch as Lower Manhattan shrinks into a strip of land. The helicopter flies over the gem-like East River, circling around to fly up the Hudson. We circle around the light green Statue of Liberty, which is so small from this height. Then we’re flying over the concrete jungle. I can see the whole city stretched out in front of me, burning orange with the sun. My whole life is in that small strip of land. We head uptown and the long, green strip of Central Park sprawls next to us. It’s incredible.
Vince squeezes my hand and I beam at him as he passes me a glass of champagne. There’s a bucket of ice near his feet with a bottle dug into the ice. He pours one for himself and I laugh as we bump glasses together. Hours ago, I was huddled in a safe house and now I’m sipping champagne in a helicopter.
I down the glass and set it at my feet. I lift the headset from my ears. It’s loud as fuck, but I want to sit in his arms. My heart pounds as I slide over the seats. My legs slide over his lap as he takes me in his arms. God, I know I’ll never feel as good as I do in his arms. He takes off his headset and presses his lips to my ear.
“I wanted to do it like this. This was how I was going to propose to you.”
My chest constricts as he pulls back with a sad smile. Already tearing up, I fling my arms around his neck and kiss his ear.
“Yes, Vincent. I will!”
I utter a small scream when the helicopter sweeps around suddenly, and Vince laughs.
# # #
PART 2 to High Stakes COMING OUT SOON!
If you enjoyed this story, please remember to leave a review on Amazon! You might enjoy these other works by Vanessa Waltz:
Break (Billionaire New Adult Romance)
What if a handsome man offered you thousands to pretend to be his girlfriend? And what if you started to believe the lie?
Jessica has never had a boyfriend, and that's just how she likes it. She's still trying to rebuild herself from a sexually abusive past, and a guy - no matter how gorgeous - would only mess up the fragile balance of her life.
Almost-billionaire Luke Pardini is gorgeous, that's for sure. He's also desperate. His dying father thinks he's too irresponsible to inherit the family estate, and Luke needs to convince his dad that he's grown up and ready to settle down with a girl. Any girl.
With five billion dollars at stake, Luke can't mess this up. But as he pretends to date Jessica, he finds himself drawn to her more than he'd like to admit. Jessica has been hurt too many times to count, but Luke is the one person who makes her feel safe. It could have been a Cinderella story, but both of them made a promise that their relationship was just for show, and neither of them is going to step over the line.
When Jessica's secret past emerges on the front page of the tabloids, his dad threatens to disown him if he doesn't sever ties with her. If their relationship was only a charade, the solution would be easy. But if it's not…
Crash (Billionaire New Adult Romance)
Will Pardini is a temptation Natalie does NOT need right now.
Months after calling off her engagement, Natalie is trying to rebuild her failing career and impress her eternally disappointed parents. She has too much on her plate already, but the offer Will gives her - to travel the world working as a graphic designer for his luxury hotels - is much too tempting to refuse.
Reformed bad boy billionaire Will Pardini has had his fill of ditzy golddiggers. Natalie is everything he'd ever hoped for but never dreamed could be real. Around her, he's just a normal guy.
Around her, he doesn't feel like such a monster.
Will has been hiding a dark secret... one that shows up just when he thought he would be able to move on with his life. One that threatens to tear apart the fragile connection he's been building with Natalie and turn his world upside down.
Is it right to let someone love you more than you deserve to be loved?
Ruthless (Dark MC Romance)
My husband’s dead and I've been kidnapped.
Years ago, I stole money from the Dragons MC club and ran. Against all odds, I picked myself up. Became sober. Got married.
But then he found me.
Now I belong to Cain—a ruthless, loveless man who’s intent on making me his obedient slave. He’s done unspeakable things to my body, tortured me, and broken me down so that I’ll never betray him. And I wouldn't have...
Until Spike came along.
He’s rough around the edges, but warm. When he kisses me, I feel alive. I’ve never been in love, but Spike is all I've ever wanted. When I’m around him, all bets are off. I’m falling for him and I can’t hide it anymore.
If Cain finds out, he’ll kill us both.
Author's Note: This is a dark romance novel, it contains themes of violence and mature situations that could make readers uncomfortable.
About the Author
Vanessa Waltz loves to write dark, New Adult romances. She lives in the Bay Area with two crazy cats. To be the first to know about her new releases, please join her newsletter (no spam, ever).
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
High Stakes (A Dark Romance) Page 23