Virtuous Deception
by Leiann B. Wrytes
by Leiann B. Wrytes
Only one thing stood between Frank Mason and his $20 million inheritance -- a wife. When he found, Lisa, he didn't waste any time marrying her, but their fairytale romance was not built to last. Lisa's infidelity doesn't go unnoticed, but Frank has his reasons for maintaining his silence. That's until he uncovers some new information about his step ford wife that lands him in jail. Only then does their picture-perfect life start to unravel, dragging every last skeleton out of his closet.
Lisa Raine was an exotic dancer desperately seeking a way out. Frank Mason posed as the perfect escape. However, Lisa's ex-lover, Lewis, was not willing to let her go without a price. After years of paying Lewis to keep her past a secret, the money soon dries up, and both Lisa and Lewis are forced to alter their arrangement. Things take a turn for the worse and only one of them may make it out alive.
Michelle Lewis, a private investigator, has managed to avoid mixing business with pleasure until an assignment sends her world colliding into the Mason's. When Brianna Mason is kidnapped, it is left to Michelle and her boyfriend to find her. Michelle unexpectedly stumbles across startling evidence that will irreversibly alter her and Brianna's life. Desperate for the truth, Michelle sifts through their families past, ripping old wounds, exposing forbidden relationships, and breaking years of silence to get it. Will the truth set them free or is it only the beginning of their parents arranged virtuous deception?
Excerpt: Virtuous Deception
Lisa inhaled deeply, the cold autumn air filling her aching lungs. This moment had been a long time coming. She wondered if the earth felt her vibration, if he knew how much she needed this. She rose to her feet anxiously awaiting her turn. Lisa had not intended on sharing this moment with so many, but out of all the people present, his was the only familiar face. The soft ground was porous, its delicate constitution nearly mirroring her fragile state of mind. Even in her flats, it was difficult to keep her feet from sinking into the earth during the walk. The air felt different as she drew near to his side, each step speaking to the miracle of her living. Before long it was time as she stood beside the man she had loved. She brazenly ran her fingers across his cold, full lips, and etched them along his square jaw line. He was beautiful lying there.
As tears filled her eyes, she let them roam over his six-foot frame and drink in his chocolate features. It was certainly worth the wait. His wife had chosen well; his navy blue suit was impeccable. The brother was designed for Tom Ford. She stifled a moan as memories flooded her mind. She could still feel him. For a moment she longed for more time before dismissing the thought as quickly as it came. As she turned to leave, she shot a quick glance at the weeping widow. The poor girl didn’t know the man she married. She chuckled at the thought and raised her face to the peaking sun. The rays highlighted her caramel complexion. A smile found its way out as she departed the funeral grounds. She sighed with relief. The bastard was dead and Lisa was free.
...Three weeks earlier
Lisa sat on the edge of the bed and fumbled with the zipper on her dark denim jeans. She had spent the better half of the last thirty minutes, vainly, trying to repair it. She looked out the window and admired the view from the penthouse suite. She was impressed. The soft white sand against the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea made for a truly breathtaking scene. Charlie caught her by surprise with this but the trip was only prolonging the inevitable. Their getaways were becoming too commonplace, risky, but Lisa could never turn down a trip to Saint Maarten. She felt like the air wrapped itself around her there. She could only guess that was why Charlie suggested it.
Charlie began as a random Instagram snapshot and it would’ve ended with their drunken dance beneath sheets had Lisa not received a special request every day for three weeks. Though she should have probably been alarmed by the persistent, nearly stalker, vibe, she was turned on by it instead. Giving up on zipping her jeans Lisa walked out onto the balcony. There was something about the water that gave her peace. She lost her thoughts in the waves. Frank. She was missing Frank, her husband. For a second she wondered how she had arrived at this intersection in her life, a point where no available direction seemed optimal.
Lisa hoped it was not too late to go back. Charlie might have had her singing a sweet melody in the early morning hours, but Charlie was no Frank. Frank alone had the power to alter her soul, if he cared enough to try. Lisa loved Frank but he failed her. Frank lost his ambition, his drive. She had big plans before she met Frank. Plans before her heart nestled with his and on the eve of the big “4-0,” she felt like her life was losing its hue. Frank had only managed to provide her with moments of greatness when she wanted a lifetime.
Those two words, “I do,” changed everything. They changed Frank. Frank was a six-foot-four inch bronzed demigod. He was gorgeous, and for two decades she’d been waiting for her husband to WOW her, waiting for the all-consuming fire that she dreamt her marriage would be. Frank was the kind of man movies were made of, the kind that melted in your mouth. She was convinced her life would be amazing, but that fire never really blazed. The memory was still fresh, still hurt. After only one week of marital bliss, Frank made a decision that changed their lives forever.
The Mason’s weren’t ready to be parents and since they had planned to honeymoon for a year via a private cruise around the world, they were obviously aware of this truth. Their parentage was a stipulation, a business move. It may have seemed cruel, heartless, but their lifestyle was one they individually and, in this case, collectively, went to great lengths to maintain. Frank proposed after a mere three months of dating but Lisa didn’t mind. She was relieved. Lisa Raine had plans had for that twenty million, falling in love simply sweetened the deal.
( Continued... )
© 2014 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Leiann B. Wrytes. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.
Meet the Author
Leiann B. Wrytes is an author, poet, and playwright. Leiann found a love for words early on as a spoken word poet and was inducted into the International Society of Poets at 15 years of age. She went on to become a staff writer for her high school newspaper, editor of her church's newsletter, and that of the local Key Club, a volunteer organization on campus. Leiann has since then performed spoke word poetry at numerous events and had a stage play performed to a modest audience which received good reviews. Leiann's background is in customer service but writing has always been her first love. Leiann B. Wrytes currently resides in Dallas, TX with her family feverishly working on her sophomore novel.
Virtuous Deception by Leiann B. Wrytes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Link: http://amzn.com/B00MW0MQIA
