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Chapter 28
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2022-06-07 04:09:53Related chapters
Struck by Love Chapter 29
Angelo headed back downstairs to the Dream Ball, which was still in full swing. “There you are,” a man’s voice called out. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” “Nikolas,” he said, going over to greet his brother. They briefly embraced, patting each other on the back. “Hey, man,” Nikolas said. “Where’d you go? We’ve been trying to find you.” Nikolas, a couple of inches shorter than Angelo, with a slightly slimmer build, had the same coloring and blue eyes as his older brother, but kept his hair shorter. Plus, whereas Nikolas always wore a tie to work, Angelo almost never did. Nikolas always teased him about his model-worthy bed-head look and how he should have a more polished business appearance. Angelo refused. He liked a few loose threads here and there. “Yeah, I know,” Angelo said, running his fingers through his hair. “Portia’s been texting me non-stop. What is it with your wife? I shouldn’t be on her leash.” Nikolas laughed. “She thinks anyone wi
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 30
Laura had a long, sad ride home. She entered her apartment and was greeted by a very anxious and lonely Jasper. It was nice to be needed and know he was always waiting for her. She changed out of her ball gown, into baggy sweats and an old, worn out shirt. She carefully placed her diamond heart pendant and chain back in its box on her dresser. She looked at it for a moment, then over at the beautiful gown hanging in her closet. She thought of Angelo picking it out for her, then slipping it off her. Her heart felt heavy. She had been Cinderella for a short time at the ball, but now she was back in her small, humble home. Alone. This wasn’t the way she had pictured this night going at all. She fed Jasper and gave him some attention. She was exhausted. Physically and in every other way. It was going on 7:30 a.m. now and she hadn't slept. She felt like she had just been through an endurance race, having so much adrenalin pumping through her system over the last few hours.
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 31
She sighed. She poured herself a second cup of coffee, took the phone, and went and sat back down on the sofa. She set the phone down beside her. She had a few sips of coffee then texted him back, ignoring his request to call him. She wasn’t ready: 'I’m at home, just got up. Sorry I missed your call. I needed to get back. I’ll call you later, k? xo.' Laura nervously hit send and then took another sip of coffee. She knew she was stalling, but she still didn’t have her mind wrapped around what she would say to him yet. She really didn’t want to get into an argument with him, and she was afraid that was exactly where this was heading. Still, she felt a bit cowardly. The seconds and minutes ticked by in agonizing uncertainty as she awaited his reaction to another of her rebuffs. Ten minutes later she got her answer as her home phone rang again. She set her coffee down and looked at the display. It was him. Presumably wanting to know if she was telling the truth about b
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 32
After her conversation with Angelo, Laura made herself some breakfast and polished off her coffee. She was bagged. She jumped in the shower and changed into pajamas. She had some time before meeting Sarah, so she decided to try and get a bit more sleep. She felt more relaxed now that she had spoken to Angelo. Things weren’t perfect, but they were good enough for now. Besides, she thought, perfect and relationships don’t really seem to go together. She was very nervous about the presentation tomorrow and especially about telling Angelo afterwards that she had asked Sarah to look into the online attacks on his company. She hoped he wouldn’t be angry about it. But that was a battle for tomorrow. She was too tired to think about things anymore, so she curled up in bed, setting the alarm, just in case she was able to fall asleep. Jasper joined her. The two of them fell fast asleep. Laura’s alarm went off at 4 p.m. She awoke, feeling very groggy, but grateful she’d actually been
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 33
Finally, the day of the presentation ended. Laura was incredibly relieved to have the pressure of the Kinetic ad proposals for Tsar Enterprises off her shoulders. It was a terribly awkward situation for her to be in a business meeting with the man she was dating, especially after all of the drama of the Dream Ball. She wanted to impress him, but she found it hard to focus around him. She was grateful that Raquel insisted on presenting everything herself. Laura didn’t think she could withstand the scrutiny in front of him. She desperately hoped Angelo had been happy with what Kinetic had proposed for his company. Angelo picked Laura up from work at 5:30 p.m. She felt a bit shy at first when she saw him. They had both agreed to act strictly professional with one another during the meeting. It had felt pretty strange and surreal to her. Much to her relief, he took her into his arms right away when he saw her. “My beautiful girl,” he said, wrapping his strong arms arou
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 34
“What is it?” “Well,” she started to say, feeling embarrassed, “Raquel aside, there were so many other women coming onto you at the ball, just when I was with you…” “I can’t control what other people do.” “I know, it’s not that…it’s just, if Raquel made a second move on you that night, I imagine there were others as well after you went back down.” She looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction. He gave her a soft smile. “Nothing happened with anyone, Laura. I promise you that.” He reached up to touch her cheek and leaned in for a long, lingering, passionate kiss. Laura felt partially relieved. She melted into him, her hand resting on his thigh. She moaned softly as his tongue found hers. She felt his hand slide down her shoulder and arm to her waist. His hand then slid to her hip, gripping it and giving her a slight tug. She could tell he wanted her. Her body became aroused at his touch, the feel of his lips on hers. She rubbed his thigh, inching her hand a
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 35
“Well, she and Nikolas have been married about four years now. He met her at the annual museum gala. They seemed to hit it off right away. She hung out with our family a bit. He proposed six months later. She expressed an interest in our business. She had finance and economics degrees and graduated top of her class, so we gave her a job. She’s been working for Tsar ever since, heading up our financial services sector.” “She seemed quite friendly with you the night of the ball. I got a really cold feeling from her.” Laura wanted to say this next part as delicately as she could. “Did you and she ever…?” “What? No! She’s with my brother.” He was clearly offended. “I mean before that. She seems quite…flirtatious, very touchy-feely with you.” He sighed. “It doesn’t mean anything. She’s just like that.” “And that doesn’t bother you or your brother?” Angelo paused, feeling some buried emotions coming to the surface. “He did once say something to me, but that was a
Last Updated : 2022-06-13Struck by Love Chapter 36
It was Tuesday night and Angelo was home alone after getting in from a long day at the office. He looked at the clock. 9:15 p.m. He was hungry, but tired. He flicked on a lamp, took off his suit jacket, and flopped on his couch. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to decide what to do. He unbuttoned the first several buttons of his shirt. His life seemed like it was just one frustration after another these days. He’d had it with just about everything and everyone. The business announcement they had made earlier today had been immediately met with mixed reviews and he and Laura hadn’t spoken since last night. He was still fuming over what he felt was a constant barrage of accusations from her. He felt attacked on every side lately. He decided to start by pouring himself a glass of scotch. He got up to grab a glass when his door buzzer rang. He grunted in frustration. He wasn’t expecting anyone and it was late. “Seriously, can’t people just leave me alone for a c
Last Updated : 2022-06-17
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Struck by Love Chapter 54 (Telos)
Six months later, Laura woke up feeling happier and more complete than she ever had in her life. She was now Mrs. Tsarkopolis. She lay there for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the soft light streaming through the white curtains. She smiled as she felt the soft swaying of the 120-foot luxury yacht, the Sea Star, that Angelo had chartered for their two-week honeymoon through the Greek islands. He had wanted to show her where his family was from and do it in style. She closed her eyes again. She found the sensation of being on the water relaxing. She stretched and yawned, then rolled over. Angelo was still sleeping. The white sheet had slipped down to around his waist. Laura lay there looking at her husband. They had just spent their first night together as husband and wife. His face looked peaceful. She looked at his thick, dark hair, all askew, framing his face; the humidity giving it a wilder look. She loved it; it gave him an almost boyish charm. She looked at his long
Struck by Love Chapter 53
Laura's jaw dropped in total shock. She recognized the tune right away. She looked to Angelo. “This is my favorite song!” He smiled. “I know. Sarah was kind enough to provide me with some valuable intel.” Sarah winked at her. The guitarist and keyboardist started playing the familiar melody. It was instantly recognizable to the audience, who again cheered. Shanna closed her eyes, and swayed to the music. She started singing her song: Dreams Carried Me Through. Her distinctive, rich voice was clear and soulful. Laura’s eyes began tearing up as she listened. She loved this song. She couldn’t believe this was happening, what Angelo had done for her. He saw her reaction and held her close, kissing her cheek. Nikolas was swaying to the music. Sarah and Barry smiled at them and held hands. Sarah knew how much that song meant to Laura. She had talked about it often, how it spoke to her. The audience was rapt, listening to Shanna’s unique and beautiful voice singing the well-
Struck by Love Chapter 52
Three weeks after Laura had enthusiastically accepted the offer of a future position within the soon-to-be newly formed Bell Star division of Tsar Enterprises, Angelo arranged a celebratory evening at Painter’s Cove on Saturday night. Along with Sarah and Barry, who was taking the night off to just enjoy himself, Angelo brought Nikolas along. Painter’s Cove was three quarters full at this point and felt warm with colorful lights strewn about, giving a soft glow over the murals. Nikolas commented how it was a welcoming place, not pretentious, just comfortable and artsy. The five of them sat down at the best table in the house, with a good view of the stage, which Barry had taken the liberty of reserving. Laura snuggled into Angelo, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. His thick, dark hair had his usual tousled look. He was dressed in casual black jeans, a dark grey jacket and light blue button down shirt that set off his eyes nicely. His shirt collar was open a tasteful thr
Struck by Love Chapter 51
Laura slept in with Angelo on Saturday morning. They took a shower together and he made her breakfast. She needed to get home to Jasper, so he gave her a ride home to Brooklyn. They had agreed to meet at Angelo’s place, Sunday around 11 a.m. to help with the preparations for Nikolas’ move. She was excited to finally meet his brother. She spent a few hours doing things at home and had some quality kitty time with Jasper before meeting Sarah at Painter’s Cove for dinner and drinks to get caught up on one another’s love lives. When Laura arrived, Sarah was already there, sitting at the bar talking to Barry. She noticed immediately how affectionate they were with one another. After a quick greeting, she and Sarah went and sat down at their own table to talk privately. Laura was happy to learn that Sarah’s relationship with Barry had also progressed rather well. They toasted to the fact that they had both now fallen in love with great guys and secretly shared a few choice detai
Struck by Love Chapter 50
His eyes were riveted on her. She wore only his t-shirt, which was huge on her, and panties. She grabbed his hand and placed it under the roomy t-shirt, on her stomach. Her eyes were warm with desire. He leaned forward, pulling her close to him. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her stomach. She held his head in her hands, running her fingers through his thick, dark hair, still damp from his shower, and bent over him. He could feel the touch of her breasts through the t-shirt. He slid his hands up and caressed her bare back, relishing the feel of her skin. “I constantly crave touching you, feeling your body.” “And I want you to,” she whispered into his ear. She writhed in his grip, letting him know his touch was pleasurable, desired. His strong hands moved to her waist, then felt the curve of her hips. She swayed her hips in response, inviting his further touch. His hands tightened their hold on her hips. He felt the edge of her panties, and
Struck by Love Chapter 49
Laura hesitated, then turned back. She made it back to her doorway then stopped. She placed a hand on the doorframe, not sure which way she should go. She felt a swell of emotion for the man behind the door at the end of the hall. She took a deep breath and padded down the hall to his door. She listened. She didn’t hear anything. She looked down. The light was still streaming through. “Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself. She knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again, this time a little louder. “Angelo? Are you still up?” Still no answer. She was about to turn back around when she felt a swell of confidence. She knocked one more time. “Angelo, can I come in?” Still nothing. She bit her lip. She placed a hand on the doorknob, then turned it. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest. She opened the door and peered inside. He was sitting up on the far side of his king-size bed, propped up against some pillows, his bedside lamp
Struck by Love Chapter 48
They held each other for a while, looking at the flames flickering in the gas fireplace, each lost in thought about their conversation tonight. Angelo got up to make them some herbal tea. Laura sat staring out his large windows, marveling at the nighttime view. She felt like she was in a dream. But she wasn’t. This was real. He was real. And she loved him with all of her heart and soul. Angelo came back with the tea and they stayed up talking for hours. The night was growing late and soon they grew quiet again. Finally, Angelo had to ask a question. “It’s getting late. I don’t mean to pressure you or anything, but I wanted to let you know that you’re welcome to stay the night here. With me. If you wanted.” She looked at him. She wanted to, very badly, but part of her still felt slightly guarded. She hesitated to answer. “I, um, hadn’t planned to stay. I didn't pack an overnight bag or anything.” He looked at her and nodded. “And I suppose, much of tonight's
Struck by Love Chapter 47
He nodded, looking down at her hand. “They’re married now, that also happened pretty fast. When the engagement ended last year, I stopped dating for awhile…until I met you.” He looked back up at her and smiled. “Really?” she asked, the surprise evident on her face. “Really. Why do you look so surprised?” he asked. “Because, you were one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors, and like I said you’re gorgeous, young, successful. I would think it would be impossible for you not to have women constantly hanging all over you, workaholic or not.” He shook his head. “After the kind of experiences I had I felt pretty used and rather jaded. Plus, my father also died last year and when I was appointed CEO, my life changed dramatically. It was hard to lose him like that and at the same time get thrust into such an all-consuming and demanding role.” Laura felt for him. “That must have been a terribly difficult time for you.” He nodded. “I wasn’t in a good place so
Struck by Love Chapter 46
She squeezed him tight. She actually felt relieved to have gotten that off her chest. After a few moments, she figured she’d just get the rest of her rather unremarkable dating history out. She sighed. “After that there’s not a lot to tell. I’ve had a couple of dates with guys who never called back, some dates where I just wasn’t feeling it. Nothing that lasted too long. After Aaron, my longest relationship was about three months. His name was Brad. He ended up getting a job in Dubai. I had no intention of moving. But it wasn’t that big of a deal, we weren’t really that serious.” She looked over at the fireplace, then down at her glass. “The last guy I dated, we went out for maybe three weeks, split as soon as we'd slept together. That was not quite a year and a half ago.” She looked over at Angelo. “Not the best track record, hey?” “It helps me understand you better,” he said gently. “Why I might’ve made you nervous.” Laura felt her face flush. “Well that, and just the fa
