Red

By Kasssanna

Her husband was having an affair with her best friend and she was the Godmother to their children.

Miate "Red" Hayden's life couldn't get much worse. For her spouse she was always too fat, too ugly, too everything but she hung in there because she believed in her vows. There had to be a way to make things right with her husband. A way to make him love her or so she thought until she met two of the most important people in her life, checking into a hotel.
The last fifteen years of her life came crashing down around her. Red was an utter and complete failure...

Constantine Wolf curiously watched a relationship implode in the lobby of his hotel. And the woman at the center of the meltdown was fascinating. He had to intervene...

His act of kindness would open doors for Red she hadn't realized were there. Together they would discover things that neither of them had bargained for. With Constantine she was everything she was supposed to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kasssanna
• Release date: Jun 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370912803

Kasssanna

Kassanna is a strong believer in love at first sight and happily ever afters. After meeting her husband in November and marrying him three months later in February the two have survived and mostly enjoyed every adventure life has thrown their way. Ten years, two children, a couple of dogs and a wild turkey that came out the woods and somehow adopted them - later- the adventure continues.Writing has always been her passion but fate sometimes has other roads that must first be taken . Navigating the road less traveled was not only unexpected but in the end extremely rewarding. Her books are mainly contemporary romance but she has delved into the paranormal and plans on expanding into other areas as the ideas come to her. Right now she is enjoying life and seeing her work come into fruition make it that much more pleasurable especially when her books make others smile. Kassanna wouldn't have it any other way.

Book preview

RED

BY

KASSANNA

*****

Copyright © May 2017, Kassanna

Cover art by Dynasty Bearfield © March 2017

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

FlavorFullove Unlimited

Florida, USA

www.Flavorfullove.com

Chapter One

Miate Red Hayden tapped her nails on the short stairs metal bannister.

Employees and tourists bustled around the entrance of the high-end boutique hotel. All glass and chrome, the establishment’s name was etched in the sliding panes that marked the entrance. Large flower pots, thick with bamboo, lined both sides of the steps. Sunlight shined bright beyond the overhang, shading the turnabout where the doormen and valet service worked in tandem to accommodate the guests exiting their expensive sedans and limos. Exclusivity rolled in waves off the place.

Bastian, the SOB, never brought her to a place like this. Married for five years to the bastard, the best she got was a standard room at an extended-stay hotel on their honeymoon. Something always came up, preventing them from getting away. Not that it was his money they were spending.

Red closed her eyes and sucked a lungful of air through her lips. He couldn’t afford to treat her because he was too busy satisfying his mistress—the women he kept hidden since the beginning of their marriage. She swallowed the pain from the knowledge that Bastian hadn’t been faithful since their honeymoon. The children she wanted? He had them with that bitch. And she’d been the one to give the woman her baby showers. Hot tears brimmed her lashes, rolling down her cheeks, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand. Her heart beat quick and hard in anticipation.

She’d been clueless, but not anymore.

She’d received an anonymous e-mail, complete with pictures. For days, she read and reread the contents, detailing the affair that had gone on under her nose and she never had a clue. Between tears, she perused the attached pictures that proved the relationship and took her breath away like a punch in the guts.

The end of the message offered one last nugget of information. Bastian’s schedule. His real one, not the bullshit he spouted to her every week when she wanted to make plans.

She bided her time, keeping the bile at bay every time she was in her husband’s company for the last week. Every day he came home like usual, spent time with her, ate dinner. Red realized why he was always reluctant to have sexual relations. She’d thought it was because she refused to go on birth control, and he didn’t want kids. Damn, she was stupid. Her naiveté ended today.

The longer she lingered around the doors, the more side-eye looks she received from the staff. Red had been there since mid-morning. The schedule listed the date and place, but didn’t reveal the time. If necessary, she would wait all day.

Bastian had called her earlier to tell her he had to leave town for an emergency meeting. That was nothing new. It was the same excuse he used for most of their marriage and one that was completely believable, given his job as a sales rep for Boeing.

She had to respect the fact that he stayed consistent in his lies.

A sedan drove around the narrow lane, followed by a large SUV limo. She knew the car. It was Bastian’s company automobile, and as hard as she’d tried to prepare for that moment…she wasn’t ready. Stabbing pains filled her chest as she watched Bastian slide out of the driver’s seat and trot around the front fender to open the passenger door for her best friend.

A sharp snort escaped around her gritted teeth. She was the godmother to their children, Beatrice, four, and Bernard, two. Hell, she babysat the kids whenever Solange asked, happy that, between the two of them, at least her bestie was getting some dick.

The pictures had been akin to receiving a thousand little cuts and slowly bleeding out. To see her best friend and husband in living color was the death blow to her ego.

She would never be the same; but before she was through, damn it, neither would they.

Red marched toward them as the passengers in the SUV exited. Men in dark suits crowded the door at the back of the automobile, getting in her way. A sharp dressed man in polished dress shoes, black slacks and a light sweater in deep red that stretched across broad shoulders rose up from the interior, and the guys hovering at the door split like the parting of the Red Sea. Out in the open, they quickly surrounded him.

Red hesitated. She went up on her toes and tried leaning to the side to track Bastian. If she lost him now, she would have to do another long stakeout. Did she have it in her to wait until he and Solange checked out of the hotel?

No, the bullshit needed to end. Not later or tomorrow, but right now.

She shoved her way past the men crowding the walkway and was jostled, her back hitting the side of the valet podium. A yelp escaped her and she caught sight of the couple striding away, oblivious to her presence.

The stranger broke through the group, catching her arm and yanking her forward. She gazed up into clear amber eyes. Almost yellow, darker flecks of gold dotted his irises. Damn. She shook off his mesmerizing stare. There was no time; she couldn’t be distracted.

Pushing off the man, she rushed away without a second glance. Close behind the backstabbing twosome, she hurried through the electronic sliding doors.

Bastian! All the anger that had been boiling since she’d received the info about his cheating was poured into his name.

Solange and Bastian stopped, mid-step, in front of her. Her husband peered over his shoulder and paled.

She’d asked herself a thousand times over the seven-day period what would she do if she caught them. Just as many scenarios ran like a movie through her head in answer to her question. But standing behind them, his arm locked around her best friend’s waist, an intimacy she rarely enjoyed—and all those promises she made herself to kick his ass. She froze. Red pressed her lips together. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—show weakness before two of the three people she trusted most in the world.

They slowly twisted around. There was an arrogance on Solange’s features. In Bastian’s eyes, there was sadness—or was it pity?

Red raised her hand and a piercing heartfelt wail poured from her lips as she closed her palm into a fist. Her nails cut into her soft skin, keeping her grounded in a reality from which she desperately wanted to escape.

Solange cleared her throat. I guess it was inevitable that you would find out. I’ve been telling Bas for some time that you are either stupid or extremely naïve. I could never be sure which.

Solange, Bastian whispered. He pulled away from the woman at his side and inched forward. Miate, baby.

Another man jogged up to Red. She looked away from Bastian to stare at the man approaching her.

Are you okay? Mr. Wolf is…concerned. The guard—assistant, whatever the hell he was—stopped between her and her husband.

She peered over his shoulder at the casually dressed man a few feet away from them. He exuded confidence. His deep brown hair had lighter streaks, and she couldn’t tell if they were natural or the product of an experienced stylist. He was also tall; she glanced at Bastian, then back at the guy interrupting her life. Her husband was six feet two, and Mr. Wolf was taller. His attire was expensive, maybe even tailored. The sweater was cashmere. Red was sure of it because her grandmother had given her a cashmere coat for Christmas.

She met his gaze and he tilted his head, arching a brow.

Miate, Bastian called her name.

For the life of her, she couldn’t look away. Mr. Wolf’s lips lifted at one corner. He waved a hand, as if swatting a fly away, and the people around him disbursed. He stalked toward her, taking slow, deliberate steps. Individuals around them faded from view and the noise level

Reviews for Red

[queen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

loved the book from the start to end,beautiful story with a Sad begining but a beautiful ending

[Rochelle Hyde · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved it. The passion, the way Constantine treated her, suberb.

[Nena R · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it! My type of book. Need a man like Constantine lmao.