Sweet Temptation: A Trick-Or-Treat Collaboration

“Okay, this is it!” Valentino’s loud clap echoes in the room, startling us all. “I want you guys back to complete hair and makeup in two hours. Mama is on her way. Stay here, let her alter the dress. And I want the final approval in three hours sharp. Comprende?”

Everyone scurries out of the room, including Valentino who’s last, shutting the door with a loud click behind him.

In a few short hours, guests will be arriving at what’s publicized as the biggest Halloween party in Hollywood. I used to thrive on this attention, known for throwing the most lavish parties in Tinseltown. Being the party host and center of attention was something I loved.

All before him.

I’ve almost forgotten what life was like before Noah Mason stepped into my world. Glamor, men at my beck-and-call, and voted Hollywood’s most beautiful actress. I had it all. A life designed to be the fantasy of every woman.

My house in Bel Air was featured as one of the prime real estates in Los Angeles. It’s filled with everything glamorous and is complemented by the expensive cars parked in the driveway.

I had it all. At least, I thought I had it all.

Fame, wealth, and beauty.

Then Noah stormed into my life, destroying my perfect world.

I heard through a friend that three years ago when Noah first arrived in Los Angeles, he had his eyes set firmly on me.

His obsession ran deep with me.

But as if the universe would ever be on my side when it came to love, Karma was a downright bitch, and she had it out for me.

During the time when Noah came into my life, I was at the height of my career and avoided dealing with anyone unless absolutely necessary. My fame had become this giant parade of popularity, taking on a life of its own.

My security team was ramped up—I had only the best in the country around me. Everyone down to my housekeeping staff had an overhaul. Trust wasn’t so easy to come by in Hollywood, and I needed someone who would never let me down and always put me first.

My sister, Morgan, ran my entire life. She was my personal assistant for as long as I’d been acting. She’s been there from day one, and there is no one in the world I trusted more than her.

She knew what was right for me at the time, and it was keeping Noah away.

I knew no different. Too busy up my own ass promoting movie after movie, until one day, she tells me she’s in love with him. It was the most ludicrous thing I’d ever heard—Morgan had a husband, and Wyatt was a good guy. I knew they were trying to separate, but for the sake of his son, Michael, who Morgan helped raise, their living arrangements and relationship became complicated.

But, of course, Morgan won in the end. It was your classic tale of Cinderella.

My sister fell in love, and Noah suddenly had eyes for only her.

Then things got twisted, Noah got jealous, and in a quick heartbeat, it was all over.

Morgan was devasted, but I expected her to move on or run back to Wyatt. She was built tough like that—a logical thinker but not emotionally driven.

And perhaps, my judgment proved wrong.

Making a move on Noah is something I regret to this day. Humiliation is something I don’t wear well, especially when they got back together, married, and had a child.

That’s when the fool became me.

To make our family life even more complicated, Noah’s mother and my dad got married. That was a shock, but not as big as his mom falling pregnant.

So, now, at the age of twenty-seven, I have a four-year-old brother. Jerry Springer, eat your heart out.

The biggest regret I’ve had to this day is allowing my feelings to fester. I should have moved on by now and burned any desire toward him and cut ties, while my heart could still cope with the loss.

Noah Mason will forever be the one man I can’t have, but as time drags on, it only gets worse. I’ve spent countless months with my heart weighed down by a heavy stone as I agonize about how to overcome the bitter depression I’ve fallen into. He has some sort of hold over me,

and the worst part he doesn’t even know it.

It’s not the greatest punishment anyone could place upon themselves—to be in love with a man who belongs to their sister.