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

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

“Let Me Love You” is not just a tale of love and sacrifice but also 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 the old days and then the entire book will be posted for the 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 & Ravenous)

Enjoy, Your Author, Sylvia Hubbard

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Read more: Let Me Love You – Chapter 13✍🏾📚❤️ #SylLit #WIP #livestory 📖💓 #marriedwife #demandedconsensual #darkromance

Author’s Notes: The “real beauty” El speaks about is Nevada, who is Paradise’s sister. Neither have a book yet, but you’ve met them in several books, including His Substitute Wife… Her Sister and Tanner’s Devil

Also, the Bellini’s do make appearances in various works, but their first book will be The Other Side of Love (located in WIP )

Enjoy, Sylvia Hubbard

When she returned to El’s office, Lester greeted her as if he were Vanna in the Wheel of Fortune, presenting Iris with her laptop computer, office printer, and various things she needed to know about the desk area. 

He gave her a password and looked shocked she could log into the network. “How do you know how to use our software already?” he inquired.

“Why shouldn’t I?” she answered as if this was obvious. 

Lester told her that her start time would be seven-thirty, but she needed to bring up El’s tea order when she arrived and be ready to work. As the merge finished up, things would change, but El would let her know what was next, and Lester hinted he’d like to be informed if she could.

Iris wouldn’t but just smiled as if she would. This little man gave her the creeps. 

When she was left alone, Iris threw herself into customizing the laptop so that she could work properly. The software was straightforward to use only because she had to use a lot of it for Dwayne, but she also had her own online software she preferred to use to get her reports done faster.

Saving everything to a cloud under her nephew’s name made it easy for her to grab report templates, calculations, and notes. Now that she had her own laptop and could use her own email, she pulled everything from Clem’s cloud account and into her own. 

As El approached after he met with Dwayne and the lawyer, Iris looked him over to see if he’d gotten into a physical scuffle with Dwayne. 

El looked despicably handsome as ever, and it was difficult not to be delighted to see him. Would she always have to hide her attraction to this man? 

As her new boss spoke with her, she tried to be as unemotional as possible, but talking with someone who actually appreciated her intelligence was rather arousing. Showing her delight was hard when she wasn’t sure if she should let Iris out of the box.

For so long, she’d had to keep her true self hidden. Now that she could be free of Dwayne, she was in a constant quandary about how to act. Perhaps it was because her father could still intervene in her life, and El would never understand that or her father’s control over her.

Iris stepped out of the box when angry, agitated, or tired. This new way of life was confusing because she didn’t know how to act when things were okay, and she was out of the control of Dwayne and, especially, her father. 

After quickly finishing the Human Resource report and then starting on the summarizing report, she understood El would be done with this company by the end of next week. From his schedule, she suspected he’d be busy all next week with potential buyers, and these reports she was creating were going to help him sell this company. Pink slips would go out in two weeks depending on who was buying or how he would break up the company.

If she didn’t live up to what El needed, she was sure he would drop her like a bad habit, and she’d have to find another way to help Dwayne pay off the debt he owed. Her new boss had staunchly stated no sex would pay off the debt. 

Going into her stash was prohibited, but she needed to live. Dwayne didn’t know about the money she hoarded at Aunt Rose’s house in the backyard under the swing set. There used to be a prohibition hideout. She happened upon it because of her research skills. 

Aunt Rose had fallen behind on her mortgage and considered selling the family’s house. Iris had money saved and was going to help Aunt Rose, but she was interested in the property and why there was such a massive debt against it. Come to find out, Aunt Rose owned several parcels of land all around the property, and there were drawings from a long time ago at Detroit’s Building and Safety from back in 1925 where a large parcel of land right next to the house had been dug up and inside a cellar had been built. 

She took out all the shelving and the laboratory where liquor was made and stored, but she still used the lab area as her small business outfit, producing what she needed in order to make enough money to sell. After learning some computer skills, Aunt Rose sent out the packages for ordering and helped Iris with orders online and putting out online promotions. Since the older woman stayed home, she could complete orders and put them on the porch, where a messenger came every day at five to pick them up and take them to the post office. 

At almost seventy, Aunt Rose didn’t mind the work. The profits helped her keep her house.

Dwayne just thought the old lady lived on a social security check. He never asked, and Aunt Rose didn’t want to have a flashy lifestyle, so the money was kept very secret.

Going over there to pick up Clem wasn’t Iris’ only reason for being at Aunt Rose’s place. Nor was she just going over there to check on the older woman. She had once thought of telling Violet more about what she was doing when her sister had the idea of pushing out a big website and finding more prominent buyers but decided against sharing. The best idea is because Violet blabbed to Dwayne about her plans, and those dreams were crushed shortly afterward.

“Ain’t nobody running no janky home stinking soap business from my house,” he yelled. 

End of story. 

Iris’s customers mostly came from word of mouth. They would call Aunt Rose or send the order form to Aunt Rose’s address, and the older woman would fill the orders after confirming payments. Aunt Rose had many friends who cared about her, but they stayed away when Dwayne was around. They didn’t like him, and that was understandable.

Five minutes to the hour, she gathered her notebook and walked into El’s office. Her chair and table were still there, but she opted to sit in the chair by this desk. She forced herself not to look at the couch because she didn’t want to think about this morning. 

Remain professional, Iris ordered. He was most likely testing her. 

El didn’t look away from his computer screen as he spoke on the phone, speaking French again. Iris assumed it had to do with the Wexford LLC in Canada. She looked at his schedule and saw there was a meeting in Chicago for Bellini, but the night they arrived, he was also having dinner with Damian Wexford. 

A chill filled her, and she wondered if she should tell El that she knew the Wexfords from a long time ago. A chill shot through her spin, making her disquiet. She shifted her weight uncomfortably, trying not to think about the faint memories of the night she met the Wexfords.

When he got off the phone, El said, “Make a reservation for three at Mastro’s Steakhouse next Friday night in Chicago but let them know I’d like two tables against the wall. My card information is in the secure files you can access with your password. Use the black Mastercard.”

She didn’t question him as she took notes. Damien Wexford probably didn’t remember her because she could barely remember.

El continued, “I’m having breakfast in the lobby the next morning, but I’d like the analysis complete for the five Bellini beds and breakfasts in Chicago. I’ve just sent you the information. Is that too much?”

“No. I’d already started compiling research for the Bellini company,” she answered. 

“They must unload them as quickly as possible as their family transitions to Detroit. I have two buyers, but I would like to get a handle on the finances and management styles as soon as possible. I’d hate to sell shitty-run businesses like that in these economic times.” 

Iris continued to take notes. 

“Aren’t you going to ask me questions?” he asked.

Looking up from her notepad, she tilted her head, confused. “About the bed-and-breakfast.”

“No, Iris, about this morning.”

She blushed. “I have questions, but didn’t know when to bring them up.”

“What questions?” he sat back from his desk. 

“How did you do what you did with breathing? Was that Tantric?”

He looked impressed and not phased by the change of subject. “You know about it?”

“I’ve heard about it. I read some here and there, but nothing in detail. I mean what I heard Sting say on Oprah or something.”

“It’s a little bit more deep than just Sting,” he said, blinking his eyes.

Iris was coming to learn when he did that, he was amused. 

El continued. “I learned actually from a dancer here in Detroit. Real beauty taught me ways to touch a woman without touching her. One of the benefits of married women being more appealing to me was that I could take my time with her, whereas single women wanted to hurry up and jump into bed. I found a married woman who didn’t want just physical sex and didn’t mind the time it took to go to a higher level of connectivity. A wife could get sex from the lump of coal she laid next to every night. She wanted more. I could practice my skill all day and all night with a married woman.”

“And how skilled are you?”

El leaned over on his desk. “I could show you better than I could tell you, Iris.”

“I’m not falling for that one again,” she said with a chuckle, trying to hide the extreme blushing she was doing.

“Tomorrow night at eight o’clock?” he suggested.

Confused, she asked, “For what?”

“So I can show you?”

Iris suppressed her excited giggle. “Since it’s Friday night, you may pick me up from my aunt’s house.”

“Fine. Let them know you’ll be staying out late. It might take you a while to recover.”

Iris was a little scared but a lot excited. She looked down at the front of her dress to ensure she had enough tissue to hold any seepage. After this meeting, she would need to return to the bathroom to thoroughly check and change, if necessary.

Note to self: tomorrow bring extra pads for your bra.

Iris had never needed more than a pair in one day, but she had never had an orgasm like El had given her.

El placed a large envelope on the desk in front of her. She had to get up slightly out of the chair to reach to get the envelope presented to her. Inside was a cell phone. 

“I’ve already had the phone configured, so there are all my numbers, passcodes, and even unlocks to my house and a couple of my cars. I recently moved to Detroit, so my computer guy didn’t have to work too hard to set everything up. The passcode to the phone is my birth month and date. You may change it if you’d like.”

She looked at the notes she had taken on him and remembered his date of birth when going through his schedule. “Your birthday is tomorrow,” she realized. “How old will you be?”

“Forty. It’s not a big thing, Iris. I don’t celebrate birthdays.”

“Are you a Jehovah’s Witness?” she questioned.

He blinked several times again before answering. “No. It’s not important.”

“Clem would think differently,” she remarked. “Those are sacred, in his book. Can we get to my contract? And the details?”

He pushed the contract towards her and again intently watched as she had to lean over dramatically to get the stack of papers.

“Tyler tried to use layman’s terms, but in short, you will work as my administrative assistant and personal analyst. I’ll provide insurance to you and your nephew, but you’ll also incur benefits as well.”

Iris slowly looked through each item in the contract, which was a standard work agreement. “I’m under your company, not this company?” she questioned.

“Yes, which means you are working directly for me, not for this company. That way, when I decide to take over another company, we don’t have to have you reinstated. You’re under my employ.”

She nodded, letting him know she understood, as she continued through the contract but then paused at the personal obligations. 

“…Until such time Eledumare Olorun resigns from the relations?” she questioned, reading the middle of the sentence. “Resigns? Quits the relationship?”

El didn’t respond but was waiting for her response.

Continuing to read until the end, she said, “Do I have to open a bank account at this bank? You’re not paying me anything.”

“It’s the bank I use. It’s right around the corner. I would like you to take your lunch and open an account there on Monday. I’ve emailed you the forms for them to fill out, so you can open an account at the bank I use. This way, I can deposit any petty cash or necessary amount in your account without worrying it will be used for personal use. You can use these credentials to open a bank account.” He pushed two cards over to her. 

Iris dramatically reached over, as usual, to the great length of the desk to retrieve the cards provided and looked shocked. “Dwayne, gave these to you?” 

“Of course. How else the hell could I have gotten them? After we finished our discussion, I told him that I would need these.”

“And he gave them to you freely?” she asked skeptically, with an emphasis on ‘freely.’ 

“Well, I wouldn’t say freely, but they were placed in my possession with little effort. Mr. Folsom owes me, not the other way around. Cutting some of his debt to get what I want means nothing if it takes the headache out of my life.”

She knew this was a double entendre, and the thought of being his truly aroused her. “And when I’m done with these cards?”

“Keep them on your person for now. I’ve already made copies for human resources, so you don’t have to worry. You’ll just have to get your son’s birth certificate to them as soon as you can. Preferably by tomorrow morning?”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, looking back at the contract. Wait…this says I can terminate my employment at any time with a one-week notice.”

“You may, but if you read further, there will be financial penalties,” he emphasized. “With a significant interest amount placed on your debt.”

She read a little further. “And I can terminate our personal situation at any time?”

El shifted uncomfortably. “If you feel you no longer desire that, it will have no bearing upon your work with me.”

For some reason, she had a feeling he wanted to say something more, but chose not to. “Is there anything I’m missing? Is there a catch?”

El shifted uncomfortably. “There’s no fine print, if that’s what you mean.”

“So I could just announce to you, right now, I’m not working for you after this week and I just suffer financial repercussions?” she questioned, to be sure.

“That would be all you owe me.”

The idea she could be free and clear in less time than she thought made her heart soar. And more so, no one controlled her anymore. “What about Clem?”

“That would be between you and your husband if you were still married, but upon dissolution of marriage, he’s agreed to give you full custody.”

The room started to spin from the euphoria she suddenly felt.

“Are there any more questions? Do you feel comfortable signing?”

“Should I have a lawyer look this over?” she asked warily.

“It’s a standard employment contract and the personal agreement is actually more amiable to you than me. The NDA is a standard template with financial repercussions as well. Tyler felt he should take over many details in your favor because I’m not good at looking out for others.”

The honest revelation shocked her, and she immediately felt comfortable for the first time going into negotiations with him.

Signing the contract meant Iris worked for him; if he desired, she could be something more. “How do I know you can know the difference between business and a situation, El?”

He blinked several times as he answered, “I’m very good at knowing the difference, Iris, although I have to say with you, I’ve met my match. Your grip on emotions is impressive. I thought for sure you’d lose it on the balcony.”

Her face brightened. “So you were trying to throw me off on purpose?!”

El admitted. “I tried, but you definitely passed the test on all occasions.”

Proudly but with disgust, she said, “I’ve had years of practice.”

He only blinked several times, which she had come to relegate as his way of holding his humor in. The mystery behind his need to control his emotions intrigued her. He knew so much about her, yet she knew little about him.

Spreading the papers over her note binder, she signed the contract where necessary and placed it on his desk. “Is there anything else?”

“Actually, no, not for today. Requirements are on your desk of what’s necessary. I would suggest taking those home and reading over and I will see you tomorrow.” 

El was dismissing her politely, and she actually didn’t mind. Pulling the file she carried into the office, she said, “This is the synopsis of the report you need for the last departments and the overall assessment.”

“You finished already? I wasn’t expecting this until next week.”

“I know, but Dwayne actually made me rush this because he wanted to impress you with getting everything to you as early as possible. It was just a matter of making everything look good.”

El’s look tightened intensely as he stiffly said, “Thank you, Iris. You don’t have to rush unless I say so.”

She knew something she had said irritated him, but she didn’t dare ask. “Goodnight,” she said before leaving his office.

Of course, she wished he’d call her back and give her a repeat performance, but she wouldn’t nag him about what she had been given. El could become an addiction, and, as well as Iris was adept at hiding her emotions, what he could do to her body certainly made it hard not to cry out for more.

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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