Dark Facade (Book Four)

By Sylvia Hubbard

The End to Darkness is Book Four in the saga of Dark Facade.

Maxine thought all she needed to do was return to the chamber to find the answers and to really know if Philippe was involved in her best friends' disappearance.

As her time grows closer to a promise to leave, Maxine feels danger around every turn and must pray she has the strength to live when the time comes.

Yet, with all the hardships she has suffered and losing so many she have loved, will Maxine be able to fight for her life or surrender to the darkness never to be seen from again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sylvia Hubbard
• Release date: Jun 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311912978

Sylvia Hubbard

Detroit native, Sylvia Hubbard, a single mother of three, has worked tirelessly to promote and encourage emerging writers in Michigan. She independently published her first romance novel in 2000 and has continued to write in that genre, sometimes venturing into other sub-genres. Always urban and contemporary styled, her writing is enjoyed all over the world. She has published 8 paperbacks and over 30 e-books.The same year she published, Ms Hubbard also created Motown Writers Network to fill the lack of education and networking for Michigan authors online and offline. By 2004, she was frustrated that all the literary conferences had moved too far away from the city and co-created The Essence of Motown Literary Jam Conference held only in the City of Detroit annually.In addition to romance writing, Hubbard has been featured at various conferences and workshops all over the United States and Canada, where she has taught authors how to sell their books on the Internet. She also published Internet Marketing for Writers & Businesses as a resource for those unable to attend her workshops. In the upcoming year, she will be featured in several anthologies and plans to publish additional e-books.

Book preview

Dark Façade: The End to Darkness

Book Four Word Count: 40K (est)| Chapter 30-42

Synopsis: Maxine, an AA graphic designer who has no life, realizes that her best friend and coworker disappeared the day after telling Maxine she was going out on a hot date with a man she met on the Internet. Now it's up to Maxine to find out what happened to Lisa and who was this mysterious man, who emailed his picture to her friend that Maxine just can't stop thinking about.

As the saga continues, Maxine infiltrates The Masquerade, an underground secret society of wealthy men who believe money can buy everything, including treating women however they please. When her membership application is accepted, Maxine braces herself for a weekend where she will have to spend without any contact with the outside world. What Maxine never thought to encounter was the mysterious stranger was now … her master. Maxine breaks the rules determined to find Lisa. Yet she never expected punishment like this.

Vowing never to return to the Society Maxine tries to return to normal life, but longs for the taste and touch of Philippe, despite the evil that was done to her. Though she tries to deny her needs, Maxine struggles daily to concentrate on the most important project that could escalate her career, all the while STILL trying to find out what happened to Lisa. She prays Philippe isn’t involved in her friend’s disappearance.

With nowhere else to go, Maxine realizes she has to return to the chamber one… last… time…

But her last time may be the end… for her.

ALREADY PUBLISHED

Book One: Dark Façade: Let The Party Begin

Book Two: When The Dark Comes

Book Three: The Evil Behind The Mask

DARK FAÇADE © 2007 Sylvia M. Hubbard

Published by HubBooks Literary Services

Edited by Tenita Johnson SoItIsWritten.net

Cover design by @KeithDYoung

Photography Unknown frm iStockPhoto

All rights reserved.

Dark Façade IV © 2013 digital Sylvia Hubbard

Discover other titles by Sylvia Hubbard at Smashwords.com http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hubbooks

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For information address:

Sylvia Hubbard

PO Box 43439, Detroit, MI 48243

Visit her website at:

http://SylviaHubbard.com

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Yes, finally it’s here. The last book. If you’re new to this experience and been waiting to make a comment about the book until you read the ending, then after you finish reading this please make a review where you purchased the book at and then tell a friend.

This was a new experience for me. I’ve done live writing since 2005, but never like this where instead of releasing parts of chapters all day, I released larger parts in books. I also never expected my house to burn down and my whole life to burn down with it.

Keeping my sanity together at the end of March was so difficult, I had to lay everything down, including my writing to keep from having a nervous breakdown.

If you’ve visited my website and been a fan of my work for years or even just months, you know what I’ve been personally dealing with and losing my writing mojo was a major thing for me.

Eight years shy of fifty, losing the thing that has kept your passion for life alive is a bummer.

That’s really all I can say. I feel in this empty deep black hole that I couldn’t get out of. But I want to say I appreciate all my fans and readers support in my darkest days.

Even when they just came by my website and just said Hey gurl, I was thinking about you.

WARNING: For all you die hard readers that have been reading the series and want only perfection, you’re reading the wrong thing. I’m not perfect and neither is my work, but I write a good story. This is like a live book, which means it’s only had a once over by the author.

Thank you in advance for supporting my literary endeavors.

Now sit back and enjoy … Dark Façade…

Your Author,

Sylvia Hubbard

CHAPTER 30

So overwhelmed by the thoughts charging rapidly through her brain, Maxine was in a mental fog as she drove home. Her body was literally on overdrive as she got on the freeway and turned corners.

When she pulled up in front of her apartment, she was vaguely aware of the familiar brown Buick Century and walked past the semi-handsome man who stepped out of the car.

Max? his deep, familiar voice said on shock.

She had just slightly passed the man who had called for her and turned to meet the dark brown eyes she remembered getting lost in so many times from the first day she had worked for him. Yet, the effect on her now only reminded her of her deep feelings growing reluctantly for Philippe.

Plus, it had always irked her that Gerald had called her Max when he knew her real name from the first moment she met him. That was another reason why she had allowed her current employer to let the mix up in her name happen since it seemed no one really cared what her real name was. Most of her life, people had called her Max instead of Jax. But she just got used to it and let the slip-up go.

Gerald? she asked in shock and surprised that he made an unannounced visit. The brown in his eyes had dulled and there were a lot more stress lines in face with additional gray to his hair. He had lost weight and his former strapping frame now wasn't too masculine anymore. The couple of years she had stayed away from him had been very unkind to him. Her ex-lover looked exhausted and haggard.

It was almost instinctive to hug him, but she held herself back. This was the first time she resisted his charms and her old urges for him.

Was it Philippe’s influence over her body? she wondered briefly.

Gerald leaned in to her to try to kiss her lips. But Maxine smoothly turned her cheek to him.

You look great, he said, still in awe, as if he couldn't believe whom he was speaking to. It’s like the clock has turned back for you. Although I still see you dress dowdy.

She smiled stiffly, pushing away the irritation that was slowly growing. In the past, things that he did didn’t seem to bother her. But now, it felt like everything he did peeved the hell out of her. You look well, Gerald, she said because she couldn't return his compliment. Plus, she was slightly now on alert, wondering why he was making an uninvited appearance in front of her house.

Gerald ran a hand over his short cut hair. I’ve got a lot grayer, he admitted with a sheepish charming smile. But I blame you, Max.

Really? Why? she asked curiously.

I’ve missed you.

How could you possibly miss me, Gerald, and how could your gray be my entire fault? That happened while I was gone. You have a wife and kid, plus a successful company because of the amazing work I did for you that you took credit for.

Well, now I have none of that if you must know, he admitted.

Why not?

Shortly after your departure, the clients who loved your work wanted more business. But I was unable to give them what they wanted, so they found another firm to satisfy them and dropped me like a bad habit. His face tightened severely, making him look even older. At the same time, my wife found out about the affair and decided to separate from me, taking fifty percent of my assets off to New York, along with my only child, which she has made very difficult to see until our divorce is final.

Maxine almost felt bad for him. Despite what Gerald had done to her, she didn't feel he deserved the cruelty that had come upon him. If it means anything, I'm sorry for your trouble. Feeling an uncomfortable need to get away from him, Maxine decided to make an excuse to go. I have so much to do, Gerald. But it was nice to see you--

He cut her off coldly. You have so much to do? he asked incredulously as if he were mocking her. You're all alone, Max. You and I both know that. You have no one and all you do is work and go home. You never change. You never will. His words were so harsh and his lips moved into a snarl, while he held her in front of him by gripping her arm so she just couldn’t walk away. Damn it, if you didn't want to talk to me, all you have to do is say so.

Still forcing herself to be nice to him, feeling empathy over his situation, she said, I just think considering that you're still married, we should maintain our distance. Maxine looked sharply at the gold band he still wore on his finger. The more she was in Gerald Moss' presence, the more she was sure about her feelings for her ex-lover. No longer was she mentally lonely, drifting aimlessly in thoughts like when she had broken up with him. Philippe filled her every waking thoughts more and more, even when Maxine was trying not to think about him.

Gerald straightened her clothes unconsciously, just like he used to do. You can’t deny we were good together, Max.

If we’re so good together, why don’t you call me by my real name?

That old gripe, Max? He shrugged indifferently. That’s a stupid name. Max sounds so much better. Besides, I like knowing I’m probably the only person on this earth who really knows your real name. He went back to the subject he wanted to speak about. Just accept that you need me and I won’t deny I need you, he said, as if it were a hard undeniable fact.

He needed her alright! He needed her to work for him and just let him use her body however he saw fit.

Maxine tightened up, remembering the long hours she had worked at his office only to find out that he took credit for her designs and creativity. He lied about being married and once she found out, he swore he was going to leave his wife. But of course, he never did.

Most of all, she clearly remembered his annoying penchant for cleanliness and how he expected her to not only give her all at the office, but cater to his every need in the home life when he was there, along with all of his anal tendencies.

Gerald always wanted her to dress perfectly, have her home military clean for him, cook perfect dinners and, most of all, be willing to just lie there and let him do whatever he damn well pleased to her body with no thought of pleasure for herself for days or weeks at a time.

The stress of being his employee and lover had taken its toll on her mind, body, spirit and heart.

Yet, at that time in her life when she was with Gerald, Maxine never realized the deferment to her soul the relationship had caused.