Bee is now literally losing sleep over Hawke: insomnia has replaced the nightmares she had; even the closeness of her tattooed biker barely allows her a restful night's sleep. Having refocused her reason for living on Hawke's welfare instead of her own, keeping him out of danger has eclipsed almost all her other preoccupations, except money of course. She's obsessed with Hawke's safety, thus making sure he will not abandon her, at least involuntarily. And the day when fashion went out the window has arrived: it's time for Bee to put that beautiful, re designer purse to good use.

Bee is desperately trying to convince herself that she is not in love with Hawke, that everything that is happening with him was never part of the immediate big picture, in the future maybe, but not now. She cannot be in love; it's lust with mutual respect, is it not? But all things considered, Bee realises that her plans have been blown right to hell.

Even though the sex with Hawke is playful and loving, and the relationship is easy, Bee's anxiety is spiralling into uncontrolled panic. In desperate need of a job, Bee does the unthinkable, and this is where Cynthia Sax's powers of description shine as never before: the workplace where Bee had sworn she'd never set foot in is described in such dizzying clarity that it becomes as nauseatingly vivid to the reader as it is to Bee.

SINFUL REWARDS 10 is action-packed, intense, nerve- racking, and at times has a nightmarish quality that is exquisitely tempered by Hawke and Bee's lovemaking, which is more tender and ardent than ever before. Ms. Sax manages to convey the love that Bee doesn't want to feel for Hawke, as well. We also see a side of Nicolas that had never been suspected before. Hawke reveals something that most readers might have seen coming, but that leaves Bee positively shocked. Bee hesitates to accept a request from Friendly, but when she does, we witness Cynthia Sax's most dazzling, brilliant, mesmerising sex scene ever. There is also this chilling moment in SINFUL REWARDS 10, after having accepted another gift from texter Friendly, Bee realises that the mysterious voyeur might not be who she thought he was, and Ms. Sax conveys Bee's reaction so successfully, that even readers who have had their doubts for a long time feel Bee's alarm.

As the SINFUL REWARDS series approaches its conclusion, the story arc gets more captivating, and with all those plot twists, the author keeps the suspense alive in every instalment in this series, no easy task, and Ms. Sax's writing is more impressive, more nuanced than ever; I would venture to say that her prose shimmers...