He leaned in closer. "I want you Astria. I want to touch every inch of that body, kiss you, make you scream my name.." "Do you mean me or my body?." "Oh, I will have both loves." He captured my lips in a kiss. ****** Astria Monte is definitely not your average kind of City D girl. She has the brains, beauty, a very dark past but most of all..... A heart made of stone and walls guarding it well till Angelo came along. Angelo Caddel. Band leader and face of the "Extremes" boy band. He is a notorious playboy with non-committal views towards relationships, a cocky attitude, and a beautiful face to back it up. He has a run-in with Astria and to his astonishment, finds out that she does not see him as he sees himself; God's gift to women. He takes it upon himself to make her fall madly for him and teach her a lesson while at it. Unfortunately, he sees himself falling for her instead and becomes confused about how to express himself. Things take a wild turn amid death threats, paparazzi, suicide attempts, crazy exes, murder, and worst of all..... A CLUELESS Astria!
Heyyy guys 🤭🥰.
So before we start I would like you all please note: This is a slow burn book! Nothing here happens really fast, especially the romance. 🤭
Music recommendation: Keep it Movin by Tiana and Hakeem (Empire Soundtrack)
ENJOY!
******
NARRATOR'S POV
"Thanks for coming out to watch us play guys! We're finally back and here to stay! We love you all!"
The crowd went wild and Angelo couldn't help but chuckle to himself. As always, they had this show in the bag and hundreds of people turned up for this show. The the Extremes weren't the best for nothing!
*******
BACKSTAGE
"Hey Helia, were you trying to impress Layla with your smooth rhymes? I could see you winking at her during the show. Dude your PDA is getting too heavy. Get a room!"
"Not my fault you can't hold a steady relationship, Angelo. PDA is just one of the things you can't handle. Hehe"
Angelo gave Helia a sour look. He is their second vocalist and rapper for the Extremes band. Plus, he was always reminding Angelo of how single he was and his non-committal views towards relationships but he did not care, after all, he thought he was popular and could have any girl he wanted!
He is am Angelo, leader of one of the best bands in the country, "Extremes". They had just completed our world tour and decided to base back in City D. Where it all started.
"Guys I want to head out for a drink. I'm not exactly comfortable after the whole screaming and all."
"Pfft you never get used to this do you Angelo". Damien their bassist joked.
"I never do Damien. I'll see you all later tonight."
He took a hat to cover up his hair. He did not want to run into any crazy fans this evening. All he wanted was some alone time and a disguise would help him achieve just that!
He needed some fresh air and a walk would do the job. Walks always made him better.
****ASTRIA'S POV***
"Sigh...."
I want this shift to be over! Lucy kept nagging and complaining bitterly about how she missed the Extremes show.
I never knew why she was so obsessed with them. I'll admit though, their music was good but I never cared about them on a personal level. I just listened to their songs. Hearing her bitching about missing the show was getting exhausting.
*****
***NARRATOR'S POV***
Angelo hadn't gone too far on his walk when he spotted this cozy little bar. A drink wouldn't hurt. Plus he needed one.
He walked in and went straight to the stand.
"Scotch on the rocks please."
"People still drink that? I thought Martini was the thing around here."
"Well, who says I'm from around?"
He smiled and looked directly at the person he was talking to.
"I am damn lucky tonight! My bartender tonight is a female. This should be easy". Angelo thought.
"You aren't from around huh? Well you're welcome to Ricky's bar and Angel Avenue. Hope you have a good time during your stay. Here's your scotch".
"Thanks, baby girl. I'm really lucky tonight. An angel is tending to my needs".
"Well this angel has someone else to tend to Mister and she is no one's baby"
The bartenderess quickly moved to her next customer but Angelo could feel her straight turn down!
"Damn was she trying to play hard to get interesting. I would love to see how long this one could last."
Angelo smiled to himself and sipped his drink.
****
***ASTRIA'S POV***
Sigh... I just knew that the guy with the hat had to be a cocky bastard. Sure he was a looker and all but that attitude and baby? Who in the world used that line anyway?! I could feel my annoyance brewing. Good thing I shut him out quickly. My shift was almost over and I'll be out of this place.
****
****NARRATOR'S POV****
Angelo waited for most of the people at the bar to clear out and in the meantime, studied the bartender. She wore this whole goth look on her and white hair was spiked with black dye.
But he had an idea that all that makeup was just to cover up everything. Her eyes gave it away. She had these adorable blue eyes and his gaze couldn't help meeting hers a few times. Well, she was not his type but it would not hurt to try other flavours, would it?
"Hey I am sorry about the baby thing but could I know your name?"
"It's Astria and your apology is accepted."
"Astria. Really interesting name. Quite suitable for an interesting girl like you."
Her expression changed at once and he could almost see the dark clouds gathering but he did not want to stop. He wondered how long she was going to hold out on him.
"Dude, is this your idea of flirting?"
"Not usually but it seems I've lost my touch when it comes to you."
"Oh, so it's a thing huh? Well, word of advice though. Stop while you still can. You never know who you're dealing with mister. It could be a depressed lady, a psychopath, whatever."
"Well I have seen all that and then some. Do you have any idea who I am?"
****
****ASTRIA'S POV***
"The gall of this guy! Was he trying to play important or what?"
"Listen, dude, I have no idea who you are and I don't care but could you tone down the cocky attitude? Not everyone swoons over this fu......" I am almost cursed!
I was so mad, I banged my glass on the table, and the drink I was mixing spilled on his shirt.
Oh no! If he complained to Ricky, my manager, I could get into a lot of trouble for that!
"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry to let me clean that up "
He looked at me confusedly at first but let me clean up the stain.
I was a bit clumsy and he moved closer resulting in his hat falling and long blonde hair spilling from it.
The whole bar went silent for a minute and suddenly a phone went up and took a picture.
"Click"
Other phones came up and I could hear the shutters.
Huh? What is going on and why were pictures being taken?
****
****NARRATOR'S POV****
"Shit! My cover was blown!"
Angelo felt pissed but one look at Astria and the surprised look on her face made him calm down at once. He quietly thought to himself, "this clumsy beauty had managed to unmask my identity right in front of everyone and from the looks of things, she seemed clueless"
He whispered into her ears.
"Well sweetie, look what you've done. I'll have to go now. Hope we get to finish our amusing conversation later. It was nice meeting you."
"I have to leave now!"
He could see some of the people in the bar moving towards him and unfortunately for him, it was packed with people as his band had their show tonight. The crowd seem to move towards him and he bolted towards the door. As he ran out, his mind went toward the beauty he had met at the bar. Suddenly he found myself smiling.
"I damn well hope I'll be able to meet with her soon."
Once can't be enough. It will never be enough!!!!. Fate never played fair when it came to love. Separated from her mate due to an ancient curse, Aurora becomes the cruel and merciless princess who reviled in blood shed all hope seems lost for her as the vampire Kingdom watches the princess ruin ancient traditions. Albeit unknowingly Mirabelle, far away from her mate, lonely and poor, vows to make a name for herself and return one day to exact vengeance. Two years later, a vampire Kingdom is almost wiped out due to a bloodthirsty and vile princess and a sensational model rocks the human world. Fate begins to pull it's strings and two lovers are reunited. A happy ending seems to be in the works for these two but every action has a consequence and for the war, it brought a grave calamity upon them. An ancient foe long thought dead, arises and things may not be as they seem..... Read to find out more loves... 😌🌹
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”