Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Dante's Sins
Dante's Sins
Dante's Sins
Ebook165 pages2 hours

Dante's Sins

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Lets meet the seven deadly sins.
Pride. Greed. Envy. Anger. Lust Gluttony. Sloth.

Surely in life these sins exist. We’ve all committed at least one deadly sin at some point in life, maybe more. And more you shall receive while reading Dante’s Sins. Each story is bound to touch your heart and make you ask yourself; What would I’ve done? How would I have reacted? Be prepared to go on a journey.

Here we go.

Let Pride introduce you to Katrina whose good looks and soaring self confidence gives her a little more than simple black mail.

Greed will take you to Jake who will do whatever it takes to get his money back but who will suffer even die along the way.

Envy leads to Samantha whose constant craving for love and attention comes true with crazy consequences.

Anger brings you to Jane who has it all; wealth and beauty yet only dreams of having it destroyed with a vengeance.

Lust introduces you to Jill who only wants to find one true love but ends up with a lot more than a little crush.

Gluttony crashes into to Ryan and Kate who love life's little highs only to be stalked by hate and evil.

And finally, Sloth clashes with Jenna who grew up in a wasteful, lazy world read on as she watches it all crumble and disappear.

Dante’s Sins is a work of fiction that will take you on a emotional roller coaster ride filled with up and downs. Sometimes sad and unfortunate but oh so forever human.

LanguageEnglish
PublisheriUniverse
Release dateOct 19, 2009
ISBN9781440169809
Dante's Sins
Author

Jennie Papa

Jennie Papa graduated from Lewis University with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and a Master of Arts in counseling psychology. This is her first novel. She is a self-published author of Dante’s Sins (2009), a collection of fictional short stories based on the seven deadly sins. Jennie lives in a suburb of Illinois with her husband, Marc and son, Stephen Papa.

Related to Dante's Sins

Related ebooks

General Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Dante's Sins

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Dante's Sins - Jennie Papa

    DANTE’S SINS

    BY

    JENNIE PAPA

    24921.png

    DANTE’S SINS

    Copyright © 2009 Jennie Papa.

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

    This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

    iUniverse

    1663 Liberty Drive

    Bloomington, IN 47403

    www.iuniverse.com

    844-349-9409

    Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

    Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

    Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

    ISBN: 978-1-4401-6979-3 (sc)

    ISBN: 978-1-4401-6980-9 (e)

    iUniverse rev. date: 05/18/2022

    CONTENTS

    Mirror Mirror on the Wall

    Mona Lisa

    Split Endz

    Till Death Do Us Part

    Love Potion Number Nine

    Just One More Time

    F. E. F.

    PRIDE

    MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL

    24948.png

    Katrina Boland slowly sipped her warm decaf latte. I can’t believe I did it, she thought. Anytime now I should know. Maybe I’m pregnant.

    It was late June and the sun was beginning to set on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Currently Katrina was on family leave for an extended period of time because of her father’s untimely death. Now that Daddy Dearest was gone, dead and buried, all that was his now was now hers. Katrina secretly loathed him, but ah, she was a very good actress. Daddy had no clue of her dislike and left her everything, including this beautiful New England estate, their family summer home.

    As Kat tapped her bare feet with delight and sipped her latte, she remembered him. One more toast to you, you son of bitch. The only thing you ever cared about was yourself and boy, did you take care of yourself, except for that untimely massive heart attack. Did not see that coming, did you, Dad?

    What next? Maybe she should quit her current stressful, suck-up job. She was the best at the real estate firm, but with a child possibly on the way and now having already reached millionaire status, why work? Maybe in a couple years, after the child was in school, of course, she could open her own real estate company, in New Jersey or New York.

    Success had been easy for Katrina. She knew she was the best, charming, and blessed with great looks. Of course, that was from Mom’s side. Dad had been overweight and balding, and what little hair he’d had was gray by the time he was forty. Thank God he married Mom, even though he treated her like crap. Constantly giving orders, showing her no respect, and doing whatever he pleased. This included plenty of out-of-town affairs and constant gambling. Mom just ignored it all. Denial truly was her best friend.

    At times when Katrina looked in the mirror, she thought of her mom. How she looked before ovarian cancer killed her in less than four months. Katrina (sixteen at the time), stayed by her side, watching that disgusting cancer suck the life out of her and wash away her beauty.

    When Katrina saw her reflection, she saw how her mother looked in her youth, with ivory skin, silky, straight brunette hair, and soft facial features.

    Katrina could have any man she wanted, and for that she was thankful. Also, for not getting her mom’s weak and submissive personality, always bending over backward to please others, especially Daddy Dearest. No Mom in Katrina’s personality. She was all dad. They called her the Lucky Charm at the firm, where she’d taken top honor that year by closing the most real estate sales in the firm’s history.

    Katrina gave one last toast to her father; thanking him for all the millions he’d left her and a very much needed, maybe permanent vacation. As she finished her latte, she stood up, blowing a big kiss with her hand and headed off the balcony into the master bedroom.

    Katrina thought it was a brilliant idea to throw out all of her parent’s old furniture and have an interior designer redecorate to her taste. Who needed that old-world Victorian decor? She ordered everything online from one of Italy’s top contemporary designers. They had just finished refurnishing and decorating last week. Entering her newly redone master bedroom, which overlooked the ocean, the garden, and swimming pool, she felt quite giddy. The home was nestled high on top of a ridge, miles away from other homes on over five acres. All of it is mine!

    Too bad her coffee couldn’t have been a martini. Decaf lattes and hot chocolate would have to do for now. If there was even a slight chance of being pregnant, it was not good to have any alcohol. Got to make a little winner here one just like her, perfect in every way imaginable.

    Soft classical music was playing throughout the house, helping Kat keep her relaxed mood. She stepped into to the oversized master bathroom, complete with Jacuzzi, steam room, and magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean and the lush countryside. The third floor of the estate had a master bedroom, as well as an office, exercise room, a library of many books and its newest addition: a small kitchen. Kat hated those unnecessary trips all the way down to the first floor just for a late night snack. All tucked away in the corner of the estate, these rooms offered nothing but luxury and privacy.

    Soaking in warm sea of bubbles, Kat thought again of Jack and her recent brief vacation on the Cape, in the small seaside town called Stonesworth. So small not many had even heard of it, very close to the larger town of Chatham, but much less commercialized.

    Katrina loved staying at the Queen Mary’s Resort, the most famous of hotels, the only one for the very rich and influential of New England. She first noticed him there last summer, when on a short holiday with her dad, uncle, and cousin.

    To say he was good-looking would be the understatement of the year. He was a goddamn knockout. Tall, with a perfectly tanned athletic body, he sat in the lifeguard chair while Katrina enjoyed the summer heat poolside at the Queens Mary’s Resort.

    She imagined herself pretending to drown, just to grab his attention, as she slowly sipped her tasty lemonade and vodka mix. Behind sunglasses, pretending to read but really watching him. Daydreaming the day away and ending up with a sunburn rather than a suntan. Watching him, she forgot to reapply sunscreen. She came to find out that by day he was a lifeguard, but by night he was the maitre d’ at the Queen Mary’s most elegant restaurant.

    Maybe it was fate that led her to dine at the five-star restaurant. The room had awesome views of the ocean, and they dined at sunset. She wore her favorite evening dress—an elegant printed halter by Gucci, a gift from Daddy Dearest, who did have a tendency to spoil her rotten—her strappy Jimmy Choo sandals, and a diamond studded armlet. She felt like perfection.

    The handsome maitre d’ could not take his eyes off her from the minute she entered the dining room. All night they took turns eyeing each other, making it obvious to everyone their immediate attraction. When her cousin Caroline asked her why she hadn’t married, Katrina replied slyly, I’m only twenty-seven, sweetie, and still playing the field. with a giggle, Katrina added, Besides, no one man would ever be enough for me. Laughing, she and Caroline continued to admire the maitre d’.

    She eventually learned his name was Jack Spencer, the son of the resort’s owner, Nathan Spencer. His father was a Cape Cod local, owning many different Cape Cod properties. She imagined Jack to be at most twenty-four. He had an air about him that told her he was sophisticated and intelligent. She never did introduce herself to him that night, or any other night while on vacation. She had her work on her mind. When she went back to California, she worked harder than ever, and Jack Spencer slowly faded from her memory.

    Thoughts of Jack did not pop into her head again until her dad’s sudden death. Not really grieving over his loss, since he was such a self-centered bastard, but she did realize that if she were to die tomorrow, who would receive the Boland fortune? Probably Uncle Jimmy, the fish fry manager. No way would that low-level bottom feeder get rich off her fortune.

    So maybe it was time to start a family? Only problem was, she was not in a serious relationship and had no desire to be in one. Then she had an idea. Could she possibly pull it off? Get pregnant without a man in her life? No marriage, no boyfriend, no bother. It would be just she and the child. Her perfect child. If the child was to be perfect, that ruled out a sperm bank. Who knows what you would get; some addiction gene or a birth defect gene. No that was definitely out. And then Jack’s strong and gorgeous body popped into her head with those seductive blue eyes, gracious smile, and his all-around sophistication. She knew right then and there he would be the father of her child, and he would never know it. Add in an extra bonus, he came from authentic New England blood. Couldn’t get any better.

    She knew she could seduce him. Remembering all too well how he stared at her. So as she was clearing out everything in her dad’s upscale Manhattan townhouse, she began to plan her next vacation. Off to the Queen Mary’s Resort in the little town of Stonesworth, Massachusetts. Then on to her summer home in Martha’s Vineyard. Wasn’t life grand?

    Sipping a martini in the hotel’s sumptuous lobby, Katrina was not prepared to meet him. Wearing a simple white pants suit and reading the Cape Cod daily paper, she was surprised when he came up to her. He introduced himself, asked if he could be assistance. Katrina’s answer: Yes please. And that was all it took. By evening they were making a frenzied kind of love.

    Of course she told him she was on the pill, so he did not bother using a condom. Oh, did they have sex, only stopping for food and short rests. Then came her untimely departure. All the time she knew that this was the week she was ovulating. To be sure, she bought an ovulation test kit. It turned positive, proof that she was ovulating. She guessed there was at least a 95 percent chance of getting pregnant.

    Somehow she did not become attached to him. Oh yes, the sex was great, maybe a little rough at times, and he definitely was not a fan of traditional sex. For Jack, the crazier, the wilder, the better, Katrina was really exhausted by the end of her trip. Exhausted, but not attached. He even fell for her fake tears and sad pout, as always the best actress. She made up a lie, saying she had to get back to the West Coast, because her best friend had suddenly fallen very ill.

    And so they parted ways, never to see each other again. He told her he was twenty-two, even though she thought he looked older. He had an irresistible five o’clock shadow that gave him a haunted, desperate kind of look. Staring at him for hours on end would be very easy for any woman.

    *    *    *

    Out of the bath, Katrina finished drying her body and was beginning to apply her moisturizer, when the phone rang. Wrapping a towel around herself, she was about to pick up the phone. It stopped ringing.

    Dammit, why does that always happen? she said. She checked the caller ID. It displayed Private Caller.

    Oh, that helps a lot.

    Katrina sighed and began to walk back into the bathroom. The phone rang again. She was quick this time, picking it up on the first ring.

    Hello? Hello? No answer, but she heard breathing from the other end.

    Who is this? she said in her most commanding voice.

    CLICK.

    Asshole, she said.

    She checked the caller ID, but it again only displayed Private Caller. Idiot sale solicitors. Katrina reminded herself to register this number on the do not call list. She needed her privacy. Tucking herself neatly into bed, she began to read a romance novel by her favorite writer, Nora Roberts.

    As Katrina begins to tire, thoughts of tomorrow creep into her head. She was trading in her dad’s favorite car, his Audi coupe, for a brand new Porsche. Her eyes getting heavy, she slips into a dream where she is racing around in her bright red Porsche Boxster with a belly that is slightly bulging.

    *    *    *

    As he watched Katrina fall asleep, he leaned back in his heavy leather chair, hands clasped behind his head, and stared at her. After a while his eyes began to get heavy, ready for sleep too. He shut the spy cam monitor off and walked into his bedroom. It was

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1