Surrender 01 - Surrender

ability to thank you all.

    Melody Anne

Books by Melody Anne

    *The Billionaire Wins the Game — Book One
    *The Billionaire’s Dance — Book Two
    *The Billionaire Falls — Book Three
    *The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal — Book Four
    *Blackmailing the Billionaire — Book Five
    *Runaway Heiress — Book Six
    *The Billionaire’s Final Stand — Book Seven

    +The Tycoon’s Revenge — Book One
    +The Tycoon’s Vacation — Book Two
    +The Tycoon’s Proposal — Book Three
    +The Tycoon’s Secret — Book Four

    -Midnight Fire: Rise of the Dark Angel — Book One
    -Midnight Moon: Rise of the Dark Angel — Book Two
    -Midnight Storm: Rise of the Dark Angel — Book Three

    #Surrender — Book One

    See Melody on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, where you can join in contests, talk with the author and win lots of prizes

    Melody’s Website: www.melodyanne.com

    Twitter: @authmelodyanne

    Coming Soon:
    *Because of Honor - a new series
    *A new line of the Anderson Family
    *Submit — Book Two in the Surrender Series

Prologue

    Divorce.
    His throat closed up at the mere thought of that word. He was twenty-eight years old and had conquered the universe — or thought he had.
    No! He had.
    Then his picture-perfect world had shattered with a single word.
    Divorce.
    He’d been respectable and respectful, always treating women with admiration. He hadn’t jumped into marriage at twenty-one, but had dated the same woman for three years, had cherished her, had given her everything. He thought he’d found perfection, but found disillusion instead.
    Raffaello Palazzo sat straight up; his eyes narrowed.
    No! He wasn’t this man.
    Even if groveling had been in his nature, which it most assuredly wasn’t, he wouldn’t consider doing it now.
    “Goodbye.”
    He barely glanced up as Sharron walked past, her five-thousand-dollar purse slung over her shoulder, and flaunted the smirk on her face as she slammed the door in all finality. She was gone, and he was grateful.
    A couple of her complaints against him were that he worked too much and he wasn’t as attentive as she thought she deserved.
    When he’d walked in the week before with a bouquet of roses, attempting to give her the attention she’d demanded, he’d seen that she wasn’t choosy about the source of the attention. She’d been in bed with his business partner. Then, to add insult to injury, she’d attempted to take him for all he was worth.
    She’d lost.
    Rafe’s eyes closed as he pictured that horrible afternoon.

    “Are you cutting out on us?”
    “It’s my anniversary. I had my wife’s favorite flower, the Hawaiian Flora, delivered express to the floral shop, and I’m picking up her bouquet, then taking her on a surprise trip to Paris. That’s where we celebrated our honeymoon.”
    “You’re the most whipped man I know, Rafe,” his assistant, Mario Kinsor, said with a smile.
    “I’m half Italian. My father learned the ways of my mother’s country and how gallant the men are and he taught me how to cherish a woman,” Rafe replied genially, not offended in the least. He hoped to have as strong a marriage as his parents had, and for just as long.
    “When does Ryan get back? If you’re cutting out, I’ll need one of the business partners here to get work done.”
    “He’s flying in on Friday. I spoke to him a few days ago, and he said he met someone. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
    “I can’t take any more of this mushy talk. Get out of here before your lovesickness becomes contagious. I’ll see you Monday.”
    “Night, Mario. Thanks for all your hard work this week.”
    Heading for the door, Rafe waved to his faithful assistant. Life was great — his corporation was flourishing without help from his family, and his personal life couldn’t be better.
    It didn’t take Rafe long to breeze into the florist’s and then arrive home. When he couldn’t find Sharron downstairs, he smiled in anticipation. Maybe she was stretched out on their bed in a sexy nightie…
    When Rafe opened the door, he did find her in bed, and scantily dressed — hell, not dressed at all — but she wasn’t alone. He froze as shock filled him.
    “Ohhh, Ryan!” Sharron cried out, and Rafe’s illusions of happily ever after shattered.
    Silently, he stood in the dim light as one of his two best friends screwed his wife. It had been Ryan, Shane and him since middle school, always sharing — always there for one another. Rafe guessed