The sun filtered through the high cabin windows, warm and quiet. A slow breeze crept through the open screen door, fluttering the edges of a flannel shirt draped over a chair. Jack stood shirtless by the stove, frying bacon in…

The coastal town had exploded in color. Flags on porches, lanterns strung through trees, the air heavy with BBQ smoke and anticipation. Maddie woke early. Slipped out of her bed and into her role. Today wasn’t about seduction—it was about control.…

The early mountain sun broke over the trees with sharp clarity—no haze, no softness—just crisp beams of light cutting through the glass of the cabin like truth. Jack stood at the sink in his kitchen, steaming mug of black coffee…

Evening in the courtyard.String lights cast golden pools across the patio. The soothing thrum of the surf drifted uphill. A breeze stirred as Maddie slipped from the guest suite, hair still slightly damp from a late-afternoon swim, wearing a black…

The sun was dipping low, casting amber streaks across the horizon, when Maddie received the invitation. She was reclined on a striped lounge chair beside the inn’s saltwater pool, legs glistening from tanning oil, sunglasses perched high, lost in the…