I was tired of boredom. The monotony of my loving husband and our life together, the hamster wheel of our social life with shallow suburban moneyed folk and the irrefutable fact that I was not attracted to my husband.
I lay in the dark for what seemed like an eternity, dissecting my thoughts like an academic at a conference. Slowly, with no discernable evolution, I was furious.
I was a twenty-six-year-old woman acting like a depressed middle-aged housewife. I had decades ahead of me still to live, to live a life where excitement, spontaneity and change could be a constant. Why was I lying in the dark like a victim? Because I was ashamed that my perfect life and husband didn’t make me happy?
Pathetic.
Then, I wondered if I really was. William loved me because I was beautiful and obedient, because he had trained me to be this way since I was an impressionable girl. He did not love the side of me that was scratching and wailing to break free of the social constraints he’d bound me in so beautifully for years. It was the part of me that wanted to lie, steal and cheat; to sin a little every day and gorge myself on a steady diet of thrills. That side would bring the Irons name shame and the most important thing to William was his wealth and reputation.
It was his wealth that gave me pause. I had no real money of my own unless I counted the few thousand dollars my grandpa put into a small trust for me. I didn’t know if it would be enough to start a new life. I didn’t even know if I was savvy enough or strong enough to strike out on my own, not after an entire life of obedience to my father, and then my husband.
I didn’t know, but as I lay there cradled in the dark night, I decided that I didn’t care about the certainty. That, in fact, it was part of the thrill.
I rolled over to look at William lying beside me, his face slack and peaceful in slumber. Reverently, I traced his thick eyebrows, the slightly jagged edge of his hairline down to the winged ear that I liked to kiss. I peeled the covers away from his body carefully so that I could run my eyes over the entirety of my husband for the last time.
The finality settled in me like a bright thing, something light that made the heaviness in my bones fizzle and pop into nothingness.
“William,” I whispered, pressing a thumb to the corner of his lips. “Wake up. I have to tell you something.”
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Welcome to the Dark Side came to me one day when I was doing The Lean outside a liquor store. I was raised by a conservative mother in a well-established family in a smallish city but my father was a rebel. He was the kind of man who happily flouted societal rules, doing whatever he wanted and doing it with a charming smile. There was always that dichotomy of spirit inside me as a result, the same duality that Louise/Loulou found in herself in the book. I believe that everyone has a kernel of rebellion in their hearts. Sometimes, people live their whole lives without anything to water and feed that seed into something more, something substantial and beautiful like a rose with thorns. Zeus does that for Loulou. He does it by being supportive and totally accepting of every facet of her so that she doesn’t feel the need to hide and even more, she wants to expose every nook and cranny of her soul to him so that he might love all of her. Their story is about love and acceptance, about being who you want to be regardless of perceptions because as Zeus would say, livin’ free is the only way to die.
I have so many people to thank for loving and supporting my own rose with thorns and this book.
First and foremost, to my amazing Fairy Godmother, Yoda and PA, Serena McDonald who took a novice writer with mild ambitions and very little know-how under her wing and told her not only that her dreams were possible but taught her how to make them come true. There aren’t words to express my gratitude for this woman. She is my boss, my cheerleader and my dear friend. I hope I never have to write and release another book without her.
To Michelle Clay for her gentle spirit, enduring support and 24/7 advice about everything from cover photos to plot details. In her, I have found utter acceptance and a beautiful friendship. She rearranged her days in order to proof and edit this manuscript’s rough draft and there aren’t enough thanks in the world for me to bestow upon her for that.
My darling Cassie Chapman has been one of my best friends in this wonderful book words for ages but I will never cease to appreciate her. I’m sorry, ladies, but Daddy Zeus is HERS. Thank you, my darling Cass, for the gorgeous teasers and last-minute graphics I asked you to make, for beta-reading Daddy and for loving me. Love you more than tacos.
There are some people that you meet online and instantly forge a connection with over HTML pages and Facebook posts. Rebecca Scarlett, my gorgeous fellow Canadian, is one such person that happened with. I feel overwhelmed by her support and genuine friendship. Thank you for the shout-outs, beta-reading WTTDS and just being my friend. I can’t wait to meet you and bake pies!
When I first started reading indie romance, K Webster was one of my ultimate favorite authors and she still is to this day. It still blows my mind that I can also call her my friend (cue fan-girling) and that she proofed Daddy’s book for me. Daddies for life, Kristi!! I’m so jazzed to know you haha.
Lylah James, you Canadian beauty, thank you for all our chats and for beta-reading Daddy and going easy on me.
Najla Qambar is my cover designer and all-round graphics magician. She brings my delicious Fallen MC men to life so beautifully it’s as if she lives in my imagination (remind me to wear a tinfoil hat if we ever meet in person!).
To Marjorie Lord for her proofreading expertise, I’d be a mess of errors without you.
Olive Teagan, my darling, thank you for taking your keen eye to the book! It astounds me how error-ridden this book would be without you. But most of all, thank you for giving me your beautiful friendship!
To Stacey from Champagne Formatting, THANK YOU for making this book a gorgeous, polished gem!
Every day that I interact with my readers in Giana’s Darlings, I feel so blessed. Thank you to my loyal Darlings for assuaging my doubts, reading my works and sharing your passion with me. You make every single day feel like a girls’ night and I couldn’t love that more!
The biggest shout out has to go to the readers and book bloggers in Daddy Zeus’s ARC Team! I love you for your enthusiasm and willingness to share Daddy with others. Your support is essential to me <3
I believe that you create your own family and I am so blessed to have so many friendships with beautiful women and authors in this community. For the authors who participated in my Release Party—K.J. Lewis, Carian Cole, Saffron A. Kent, Kennedy Ryan, Shanora Williams, Mara White, Dani Rene, M. Never, K.K. Allen, Sierra Simone, Leigh Lennon, Dylan Allen, Rebecca Scarlett, Auden Dar, Marley Valentine, Meagan Brady, Ava Harrison, C.L. Matthews, Ella Fields, Jane Anthony, Fiona Cole, Kathryn Nolan, Lucia Franco, L.B. Dunbar, Lizzie Hart Stevens, Ella Fox, L.J. Shen, K Webster and Charleigh Rose! Also, to my girls, Olive Teagan and Lee Piper—your support is one of the best gifts I have ever been given in this life.
I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for Sierra Simone. You are such a goddess and the fact that you take time out of your busy, beautiful life to help and encourage me humbles me. Your friendship means so much to me.