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Please continue reading if you’ve read the story starter – a very long Chapter 1 – and you’re ready to dive into the story with me.

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About the story: (short description. Click here for longer)

“Let Me Love You” is a tale of love and sacrifice and a poignant story of self-discovery, celebrating the human capacity to find love in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Please enjoy the current WIP of Iris and El. This will be published freely up to a point, like in the old days, and then the entire book will be posted for full download. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the companion stories. (Wicked Chances, Dreams of Reality, The Convenient Wife, The Other Side of Love, She Works Hard for the Money & Ravenous)

Enjoy, Your Author, Sylvia Hubbard

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Read more: Let Me Love You – Chapter 59✍🏾📚❤️ #SylLit #WIP #livestory 📖💓 #marriedwife #demandedconsensual #darkromance

AUTHOR’S NOTES: Look who’s dropping an extra chapter this week. And we hope to get things wrapped up in a couple of weeks (before Christmas) before we start #7DaysAfterChristmas. I’ll be using the weekend to set that up, so get ready.

Don’t forget my new release Essence’s Divinity comes out Jan1st.

Interested in more of the Bellini’s? Check out the first couple of chapters in The Other Side of Love.

They arrived at the Bellini Towers in Downtown Chicago and were escorted to the floor above the top where she knew Alejandro Bellini’s offices resided. He was over most hotels, resorts, bed and breakfasts, and short stays. From research, Alejandro inherited the position from their father, Antonio Bellini, only because his oldest brother, Renaldo Bellini, wanted to continue to romp around the world instead of being stuck behind a desk. There was also a middle brother, Armando Bellini, a workaholic lawyer, and their adopted sister, Kelsey Bellini. They did have a little sister, Taylor Bellini, who oversaw the art division of Bellini Enterprises, and their mother died when they were younger from a drunk driving accident. Antonio Bellini’s sister raised his children on her own, and everyone referred to her as Mama.
This division was also looking for land around Detroit for special private short stays and more bed and breakfasts, and a venture into unique river cruises was opening up.
In business magazines, Alejandro Bellini had been quoted as wanting to give their new ventures specific diverse niches and offer customers cultural and personal experiences. 
While riding the elevator alone, Iris reached into her purse and pulled out a small vial for him, seeing that he had not applied anything under his nose.
“I’m fine,” El said stiffly.
Iris wanted to insist, knowing how severe his condition could be, but didn’t and put the vial away, wondering how he was tolerating all the smells that should be making him sick to his stomach.
“Your assistant can sit here in the lobby,” the receptionist said as they approached Alejandro’s office. 
“She’ll be coming with me to the meeting,” El declared.
The woman looked shocked but nodded and guided them to the second door to the right. It immediately opened, and a man looking like he was over the height of the entrance, wide as the doorway, greeted them. He was fair-skinned, with dark brown hair, olive green eyes with significant yellow specks, and a curl of humor on his lips reflected in those eyes. 
Handsome as hell, Alejandro Bellini was one of the more prominent men in the family. He didn’t look like he should be in a board room but on the battleground of a football field trying to kill the quarterback, but his friendly demeanor illuminated him irresistibly. 
“El, thank you for meeting me so early.” They shook hands, and he almost closed the door on Iris until she gasped. “Oh man, I didn’t see. You’re not alone?” He openly displayed his shock. “Is this your assistant?”
El stiffly corrected, “She’s my analyst. This is Iris Folsom.”
“Oh wow, you mean business – business.” The mirth in his tone of voice almost made her chuckle, but Iris bit her tongue and entered the room, standing near El.
When she turned to Alejandro, he was only a foot away, towering above her. She had to kareen her neck to look into his piercing, light greenish eyes. An Italian descendant, Alejandro was in his upper 30s to 40, dripping sexiness modestly. Did he even understand he could look like he could be peeled off a Vogue magazine cover?
“Alejandro Bellini,” he introduced himself, outstretching his large hand. 
El moved between them before Iris could reach over and take the handsome businessman’s hand. “She knows who you are. She’s only an observer unless I need something, Alejandro.” He turned to Iris with that possessive look in his eyes. “Have a seat over there, Ms. Folsom.”
He indicated that the settee was along the side of the wall. Iris was only a few feet from the desk, and she could see both men as they sat down. 
“I made sure your seat was extra clean, El,” Alejandro said proudly. “Dalton warned me if I didn’t want you throwing up in the middle of the meeting, I better have my office extra clean.”
El didn’t try to clean the seat before he sat, and Iris thought that was strange for him not to do. Was he internally fighting the urge not to get sick? She worried for him but didn’t outwardly display her concern.
“I should thank you for your extra consideration of my condition, Alejandro,” El commended. “I have to ask why you took this meeting, even after everything you heard about what happened in Detroit. I don’t want your pity. I’m not planning on sitting here to chew the fat.”
The large businessman eased back in the chair slowly, and Iris was amazed that the furniture could hold someone his size. He easily weighed at least three hundred pounds of lean muscle mass.  “Dalton can be a hard nose sometimes, and once he’s made up his mind about something, nothing you say to him could change his mind, but I read that article that…” He looked over at Iris and readjusted his position, making the chair squeal. “When THAT woman posted, I knew something was shady in the land of Eden. Dalton refuses to pick up anything with her name on it. To him, the news reporting was enough, and it would have been for me too if I didn’t see her name on that article.”
El confidently said, “My charges should be dropped by the time I return to Detroit, but that still doesn’t make up for the reputation lost; I understand that. As with this deal, give me a couple of weeks, and I can make it all up.”
Iris took out her notepad, ready on a dime to write down whatever she needed to so she could look over her notes later. El went through the report she had given him before he left Detroit. She was impressed he remembered almost everything, even most of the stats she’d added to the report. 
Alejandro took a deep, long sigh as El was winding down his proposal. “I want to hang with you, El, but Dalton needs us to take in offers before we even step foot in Detroit.”
“And when is that?”
“Tomorrow or the next. I will tour the Bellini offices in Detroit Thursday morning and prepare to meet with Russell Wexford and the other cousins.”
It was El’s turn to shift uncomfortably, and he glanced at her. She quickly bowed her head and pursed her lips.
“Do you have something to say, Ms. Folsom?” El asked, but it felt like a demand.
“Only that the property Mr. Wexford offers could be tainted later on with speculations of coercion.”
Alejandro frowned suspiciously. “Are you only saying that because you want me to give your boss more time to find what I’m looking for? That’s what he’s asking. I have no doubt El could give me exactly what I want, and I’d love to work with him because I want to offload other properties we have in other cities, and I know he could do it.  But I also know there’s a conflict of interest, and Wexford wants us to have no part of El if we do business in Detroit with Wexford.”
“You don’t have to do any business in the City of Detroit with Wexford,” Iris declared, unlocking her phone and sending El a link to a document. “Could you send that to Mr. Bellini, sir?”
El checked his phone and did as she asked before he started to peruse the document himself. 
“There’s land on the east side of Detroit that would be perfect for your needs. The property owners are lifelong residents looking for a diversified investment business that’s willing to come in and help them. With the flood line moving up in Detroit, much of this area needs rebuilding and repair. Still, it’s a nominal investment for the potential money your business could make with bed and breakfast places and even a docking area for the small yachts you want to venture into. Near this area is a newly named historic district the city will pour millions of dollars into in the next few years. Bellini Enterprises could own significant properties before the vulture out-of-state companies swarm in. You’ll be the cream of the crop, the city will be grateful for your investment in making their historic district look even better, and you will be a hero to your family for taking the step with El before anyone else. I heard you mention in one interview you’d rather not dock in downtown Detroit. In that area of Detroit in the proposal, there are docking areas for midsize yachts that will give exclusivity, and it’s still close to Jefferson, which can take tourists straight into downtown.” Iris had included a map in the document so he could understand what she meant.
“There’s no way you could have gotten permission to pitch this to me overnight,” Alejandro snorted in disbelief. 
“If you look at the last pages of the document, I’ve attached PDFs of signed business association proposals by presidents of the divisions in that area who are willing to sit down and work with Bellini Enterprises. Their contact information is attached, and you can confirm this information yourself.”
“How?” El asked, just as shocked.
She blushed under his visual scrutiny, knowing he had her editor’s notes in his copy so he could see Aunt Rose’s lengthy email to validate what she was saying. “My aunt is a long-time resident of the city, and she helps many people and knows even more – especially other long-time residents. That whole area has been neglected even with the resurgence of Detroit. Still, its potential is incredible, given the right investment in looking out for the welfare of the residents in the area.” Tearing her eyes away from El, she looked over at Alejandro. “That’s all they ask for. Other businesses have approached, but with the backing of my aunt and your family’s name, I’m sure we can get your foot in the door, Mr. Bellini.”
He quickly flipped through the document, engulfing everything with his eyes. “And she’s just your analyst, El?” 
“Why do you ask?” El questioned suspiciously. 
“Because I think I want to marry her,” Alejandro said with a loud smack on his desk and boisterous laughter. “Any woman who can offer something to make me feel she’s giving me a gift is worth keeping. The detailed reporting, the stats, and the facts in this proposal are amazing!”
El grumbled, and Iris held herself together to stop herself from chuckling. 
“Thank you, Iris. Could you please give Mr. Bellini and me a moment?” El asked, excusing her.
She could hear the clippish in his tone, but she didn’t hesitate to arise from her chair. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Bellini.”
Alejandro stood up with her, and El followed him. When Alejandro outstretched his hand, El shook his head. 
“No need for handshakes, Alejandro. She knows you’re pleasured to meet her.”
The large businessman chuckled and only nodded at Iris. “He’s right. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Iris wondered if El didn’t want anyone to touch her because he didn’t want their smell on her. He only wanted his scent on her. Or was he THAT extremely jealous? It was more like the latter because why would he envy anyone getting near her?
Sitting in the lobby, she patiently waited for the men to talk. Looking at her phone, she could see they were still in her document. Since she had given them commentator privileges, she smiled at the items where they were noted in favor.
She had done a good thing, and Iris couldn’t wait for El to reward her. 
Hopefully, it will be like last night once they return to the hotel. 
A secret, wicked smile formed on her lips as the hot tingles racked her body.

End of This Chapter | Post your thoughts in the comment | Let the author know what’s going on in your head

Let Me Love You (c) 2024 Sylvia Hubbard All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
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