Dark Desires

Dark Desires KATRINA & MAVERICK’S STORY THE DARK MAFIA TRILOGY BOOK ONE AUBREY ROSE Copyright 2022-Present by Aubrey Rose All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without expressed written consent and permission by the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Subscribe! Have you subscribed to my newsletter? Get the latest information about my new releases, exclusive deals, free short stories, and author updates. Subscribe to the newsletter! Also by Aubrey Rose FREE Short Stories Night Out (Paige & Angelo’s Story #1) Night In (Paige & Angelo’s Story #2) The Big, Bad Billionaires Series City of Lies (Olivia & Gerard’s Story #1) Pillar of Truth (Olivia & Gerard’s Story #2) The Dangerous Duet Dangerous With You (Amber & Matt’s Story #1) Dangerous With Me (Amber & Matt’s Story #2) Bring Up the Heat Novelette Series Bring Up the Heat (Kaleb & Rosemary's Story) Unbake My Heart (Clementine & Leo's Story) Bun in the Oven (Coco & Darius’s Story) Piece of Cake (Colby & Jonelle’s Story) Smokin’ Hot (Berry & Charlize’s Story) Drop of Love (Olive & Sam’s Story) The Me & You Trilogy My Pleasure (Shona & Raphael’s Story #1) The Dark Mafia Series Dark Desires (Katrina & Maverick’s Story #1) Standalone Stories Never Over You (Brooke & Alex’s Story) Contents 1. Katrina 2. Maverick 3. Katrina 4. Maverick 5. Katrina 6. Maverick 7. Katrina 8. Maverick 9. Katrina 10. Maverick 11. Katrina 12. Maverick 13. Katrina 14. Maverick 15. Katrina 16. Maverick 17. Katrina 18. Maverick 19. Katrina 20. Maverick 21. Katrina 22. Maverick 23. Katrina Can You Leave Me A Review? Subscribe! About the Author Also by Aubrey Rose CHAPTER 1 Katrina I stared at the blinking cursor on the screen, my eyes straining to see the tiny numbers. I willed them to change as I used the Excel file to run a few more calculations. With a long, drawn-out sigh, I pushed my reading glasses up on the bridge of my nose and looked at the reality before me. At best, the coffee shop could expect to stay open for another five weeks, at the rate it was going. I blinked away angry tears as the reality of the situation started to set in. Everything I had worked for, everything I had built up was crumbling down around me. And the worst part was—it wasn’t completely my fault. Damn you, Danny, I thought to myself as I pressed another key on the keyboard, hoping by some miracle that my equations were incorrect. This is all your fault and now I have to deal with the fallout. I let out another sigh of frustration as the numbers stayed the same This wouldn’t be an issue if I still had my savings, but Danny had ruined that for me and now, I was going to lose the one thing in my life that still mattered. It had been a little while since I had put the ex in front of my husband, but the old wounds still smarted. I frowned at the computer screen, allowing myself to go back in time. If I were to be honest with myself, I had to admit there were signs for ages leading up to the inevitable fallout. Red flags littered the memories we had together. I tried not to blame myself for not seeing them. So many years had been wasted on a man that wasn’t worth the twenty-five cents I had spent on a newspaper this morning. I pursed my lips and pushed my chair away from the desk. I had seen enough of the numbers. They weren’t changing any time soon. The back room of the coffee shop was less of an office and more of a multipurpose room. There was a desk where I handled the business end of things. There were rows of shelves that surrounded my desk and held excess stock of coffee beans and mugs stamped with the cafe’s logo. I observed the area, the light from my computer reflecting against the dim room, with a morose feeling in my gut. It would be hard to say goodbye to this if I couldn’t find a way to save it. The coffee shop had been a dream of mine that was years in the making. I had poured every penny I had, along with my blood, sweat, and tears. Long nights were spent crunching numbers and processing orders to ensure that everything ran smoothly. And now, it looked like it might be coming to an end. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I pressed the print button and listened to the printer spit out the report I had been working on. I took the page, still warm from the printer and stared at the number, my eyes blurry with emotion. There had to be a way around this. There had to be a way I could make this work. I had worked too long and too hard to let this slip through my grasp. There was a knock on the door, breaking me out of my reverie. I quickly blinked away the unshed tears. I wanted to make sure Mari wasn’t aware of my distress, lest she fuss over me. “Yes?” Mari, my friend and most trusted coffee shop worker, stood in the doorway of the back office, her face scrunched up in an expression of concern. Her curly black hair was pulled back in a puff and she looked downright exhausted. “Hey, I know you’re working on the books back here, but we’ve got a bit of a rush and I could really use your help.” If Mari was asking for help,