by L. P. Dover
Isaiah nodded. “Done.”
He walked out of the suite and to the elevators while I made my way down the hall. Faith’s door swung open before I could even lift my hand to knock. She had on a pair of tight black pants and a silky blue top that hugged the curves of her body. The woman was going to fucking kill me. She stood in the doorway with pursed lips. “Fifty thousand dollars,” she snapped. “Don’t you think you went a little overboard?”
She looked sexy as hell when she was pissed. “Took you long enough to check your account.”
Her eyes widened. “I thought maybe it’d be a thousand or two at most just to get me by until we sold off Philip’s things. Not freaking fifty grand. What the hell were you thinking?”
I smiled. “You done yet?”
She huffed and shut the door behind her. “God, you’re infuriating. I don’t know what to say.”
“You could say thank you.”
We walked toward the elevators and her expression softened when I smiled at her again. “Thank you, Dominic. But just so you know, I’m not touching that money. It’s coming right back to you.”
I pressed the elevator button. “Do what you want with it.” As soon as the elevator opened, we rode it down to the garage floor where my car was parked.
Faith looked around and her eyes brightened when she saw my car. It was a blue and black Bugatti Chiron with blue wheels. I’d bought it on one of my trips to France a couple years ago. “I finally get to ride in your car,” she squealed.
I opened the door for her. “I would’ve taken you for a ride before.”
She looked up at me. “Unfortunately, I was married and working hell-ish hours to get my husband’s law firm to where it is today. Look where that got me.”
Faith was a savvy business woman. She just happened to put her trust in the wrong man. “You can’t blame yourself for that, Faith. You made that law firm succeed. There’s a lot to say for that.”
She scoffed and got in the car. “Things would be a lot better if I’d just done what I wanted to do.”
I shut her door and got in the driver’s seat. “I remember you saying something in the past about opening a restaurant?” We pulled out of the parking garage and headed on our way across the city to the law firm.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “A restaurant was my dream.”
“You can still open one,” I said.
She shrugged. “Maybe one day.”
“What is it about a restaurant that you want so much? I’ve never heard you talk about cooking.”
She burst out laughing. “Oh, goodness, no. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook up some great things, but it’s more about my love of food. If I were to open a restaurant, I’d want someone like Francis to be the chef. We could scout out the best chefs in the world and have a killer restaurant. I’d eat there every single night.” She looked over at me and smiled. “I like making things great. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a restaurant, but any kind of business for that matter.”
That was why my father wanted to hire her when he was alive, but Layla was against it. She didn’t want her best friend involved in our family affairs. She would’ve seen how corrupt we were. I wanted to tell her about the fighting and the pit, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to scare her away. My phone rang, and I pressed the accept button on my dashboard.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Mr. Corsino. It’s Eric. The condo has been cleaned out and we’re on our way to the storage facility. I have a couple of buyers interested in some of her things. Do you know what Mrs. Hilliard wants to sell?”
I looked over at Faith and nodded toward the radio. “It’s up to you,” I said low.
Faith cleared her throat and peered out the car window. A few seconds later, she turned to the radio and smiled. “You know what, Eric, feel free to sell it all. I don’t want anything that was in there.”
Eric chuckled. “Will do, ma’am. Mr. Corsino, I’ll have the money to you no later than tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thanks, Eric. I appreciate it.” I hung up and looked over at Faith. “You sure that’s what you want?”
There was no hesitance in those crystal blue eyes of hers. “I’m positive. Everything in that house, he touched. I don’t want any of it. I’m just ready to get what happens next over with.”
We pulled up at Mackenzie and Associates and parked. Faith leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. “You nervous?” I asked.
She clenched her fists. “I’m pissed all over again. It’s so much easier when I don’t have to worry about seeing that limp wristed douche canoe and his sea donkey of a girlfriend.”
Reaching over, I placed a hand over hers. Her breath hitched as if she’d felt the same thing I did, the fire between us. It’d always been there, but she was untouchable. Even if she hadn’t been married before, Layla would’ve refused to let me get close to her.
“I’ll be right there with you,” I said.
Her eyes opened, and she squeezed my hand. “Thank you for coming with me. Let’s get this over with, and hopefully, it’ll be the last time I ever have to see Philip.”
Under any other circumstance, I could make that happen, but it’d be obvious if I did something about it. Faith would know it was me. She let me go and opened her car door. I stepped out and walked by her side as we entered the building. When we stepped into the foyer, there was a middle-aged woman at the desk with short, dark brown hair, concentrating on the computer screen in front of her.
Faith leaned in close. “That’s Donna. She’s one of the sweetest ladies I’d ever met.”
Once we got closer, Donna looked up at us and gasped. She jumped up and circled around the desk to hug Faith. “Oh my God, I’ve been wondering when I was going to get to see you again.”
Faith smiled and hugged her back. “Trust me, I’ve dreaded coming here, but I’m happy to see you.”
Donna let her go. “It’s been insane here since you left.” She cautiously looked around the room. “Between you and me, it wouldn’t surprise me if half the people here left. I’ve even wanted to leave.”
Her focus landed on me, and from the nervous tilt of her smile it was obvious she knew who I was. I’d been in the news more than once the past year ever since my father died. Faith placed a hand on my arm. “Donna, this is …”
Donna held out her hand. “I think I already know. Dominic Corsino, right?”
I shook her hand. “Yes, ma’am. We’re here to clean out Faith’s office.”
Donna nodded and focused back on Faith. “You picked a good time. Mr. Mackenzie’s in his office about to take a conference call. If you go down the left hall, he won’t see you.”
Faith breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Donna. We’re going to go.” She linked her arm with mine and we started toward the left hall.
“Hoping to make him jealous if he sees us?” I asked, grinning down at her holding my arm.
Faith snorted. “More like keeping you close so I don’t do anything stupid. I have a tendency to react before thinking of the consequences. All I want to do is go right down to his office and hit him over the head with his keyboard.”
That was what I loved about her. She was full of fire and determination. There was even a sense of darkness in her. I had no doubt she’d bash her ex over the head if she could get away with it.
“I’ll watch you do it,” I said in all seriousness. “I’ll even take the blame for it.”
With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. “No. I’d probably kill him and I couldn’t let you go down for that.” We made it to her office and she opened the door. The first thing that hit me was the scent of her perfume; it reminded me of strawberries.
I stepped inside and she closed the door quickly. “All right, this’ll only take me a couple of minutes.” She rushed to the closet and pulled out an empty box.
Walking around her office, I stopped at a painting she had on the wall. It was a picture of a cottage in the middle of the woods, a
ll decorated for Christmas. There was a name painted in black on the lower right corner. Cathy Hilliard.
“Isn’t that your mother?” I asked.
Faith emptied the contents of her top drawer into the box, and then, looked up at the picture. “Yes,” she said, smiling sad. “She loves to paint and she knows I love Christmas. That one’s my favorite.”
“Do they know what Philip did to you?”
She continued to toss things from her desk into the box. “Not yet. I haven’t talked to them in a couple of days. We’ve exchanged a few texts but I’ve not told them a thing. They worry about me too much. If I tell them what’s going on, they’ll insist I move back to Virginia so they can help me.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “I’m almost thirty-years-old. I can’t be doing that. Once we get the money from Eric I’ll be able to put a down payment on a new place. Once I’m settled, I’ll tell them everything. And I’ll be out of your hair too before you know it.”
I didn’t want her ‘out of my hair’. I liked having her right down the hall from me. My phone started to ring so I pulled it out of my jacket pocket. It was my uncle Marco. I nodded toward the door. “I have to take this. I’ll just be right outside.” She nodded so I slipped out into the hall and shut her office door. “Marco, what’s going on?” I answered.
“As you know, I’ve been meeting with the other families the past couple of days to set up all the fights. I just left the Salvatores.”
“And?” I prodded, looking around the hallway. So far, there was no one around.
He sighed. “They want the main fight on gala night. Their bet alone is half a mil. That’s not including the money from everyone else. I accepted, but I can’t help but wonder what they have up their sleeves.”
Half a million was a shit ton of money for just a fight. My terms were that each fight had to be fair, no weapons. There was a time, several years ago, when I actually fought in an underground fighting ring in Vegas. No one knew I had except for Marco, not even the other families in the city. That was why I chose to fight in a city on the opposite side of the country. The fights were to the death, and anything was allowed. It was a past I wasn’t proud of, but the high after a fight was the most intoxicating feeling I’d ever felt.
“Do you know who their fighter is?” I questioned curiously.
“No,” he huffed. “All I know is that we need our best in the ring.”
A man and woman walked out into the hall and slid past me. “That we’ll have. Right now, I have to go. I’ll be back later.”
“Sounds good, son. Oh, wait, it looks like Isaiah just walked in with Micah and Connor.”
“Good. Tell them I’ll talk to them when I get back.”
We hung up and I was about to go back into Faith’s office when I just couldn’t bring myself to open the door; it was my chance. Instead, I walked down the hall and around the corner to Mr. fucking Philip Mackenzie’s office. The door was shut, but I didn’t give a damn. I opened the door and strolled right on in.
Philip’s head jerked up and he looked shocked for a moment, but then when he realized who I was, the shock turned into outright animosity. He slammed his phone down and stood. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
As much as I wanted to beat the shit out of him, I had to rein in my anger. Instead, I smiled and glared right back at him. “Just wondering how a stupid cunt like you can sleep at night,” I said. “Figured I’d come by and say thank you.”
Philip snarled. “For what?”
I stepped closer and he stumbled back into his chair. He wanted to appear tough, but I knew he was nothing but an insecure pussy. “For Faith,” I replied. “If it wasn’t for you being a major fuck up, she wouldn’t be free of your bullshit. Now she’s got me.”
His eyes widened. “Is she here?”
He stepped out from his desk, and started for the door, but I stood in his way, making sure not to touch him. However, if he made the first move, I’d be happy to finish it. “You’re not going anywhere near her, cocksucker. I’m going to make sure of that.”
“How are you going to stop me?” he spat.
I could feel the rage building in my chest. Clenching my fists, I took one more step toward him. “If you so much as breathe near her, I’ll break both your fucking legs.” I stared right into his eyes. “You know I will too. I can smell the fear on you.” Philip growled and I smiled as I backed away from him toward the door. “Have a good rest of your day.”
With those last words, I walked out of his office and back down to Faith’s. She opened the door just as I was about to open it, holding a box filled with her stuff. “Ah, you’re off the phone. Perfect timing,” she said. I took the box from her, and she went back into her office to grab her mother’s painting. “Let’s get out of here.”
I smiled. “Good idea. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
***
After leaving the firm, I took Faith to the hotel so she could drop off her things before we headed to our final stop. After talking to Philip and realizing how much of a piece of shit he was, it made me want to do something for Faith. That was why I planned on taking her to one of the best restaurants in New York. I’d called in a favor and the owners were happy to oblige. They knew I tipped well. Faith deserved someone who could treat her right. Was that me? I knew I could do anything for her, and give her what she wanted, but I didn’t know if I was the kind of man she needed. Hell, I didn’t know if I was worthy enough for her. I’d spent my years with countless women who only cared about my money. It was fun for a while, but now I wanted … more.
“Where are we going?” Faith asked, her eyes twinkling as she looked out the car window.
Now that she knew she never had to see her ex again, she seemed happier. “You said you loved food, right?”
Her brows lifted. “Yeah.”
I nodded toward the clock. “It’s almost dinner time and I know of the perfect place. That is, if you don’t mind going with me.”
She smiled. “I owe you so much, Dominic, but I’m pretty sure you have more important things to do besides spend time with me.” I wanted to tell her how wrong she was, but it was too soon. I needed her to see that there was someone else out there who could take care of her the way she deserved. Once we crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge, the restaurant was just on the other side, right by the water. Faith’s mouth gaped as soon as she saw the sign of the restaurant, Violante’s; it was my favorite place. She turned to me and her eyes brightened. “Oh my God, I’ve always wanted to eat here. Is this where you’re taking me?”
I nodded. “You’ll love it.”
She gasped. “I should’ve known you’d have ties to this place. It takes people months to get reservations. I’ve heard their lasagna is to die for.”
It felt good to see that beautiful smile of hers come back. “Guess you’re about to find out.” I turned off my car and grabbed my keys. “Let’s go.”
We got out of the car and the owner’s wife, Greta, greeted us as we walked up to the door. She had long, white hair that she kept in a braid, and she had on her lucky red apron that she always wore when I was a kid. Violante’s had been around since the 1800’s and passed down through the generations. I grew up with Greta’s grandson, Matteo, and spent many afternoons in the restaurant, watching her cook her family recipes. Matteo had died in a hiking accident not long after he graduated college. Ever since then I made it a point to visit as much as I could.
Greta opened her arms. “There’s my boy. Come here and give me a hug.”
She squeezed me hard and I smiled. “It’s good to see you, Greta.”
“And it’s wonderful to see you. Just as handsome as ever.” Greta let me go and set her sights on Faith. Her smile widened and she pulled her in for a hug.
Faith giggled and hugged her back. “Hi, Greta. I’m Faith.”
Greta stepped back to get a good look at her. She turned to me and nodded. “She’s a pretty one. Must be serious if you’re bringing her here.”
> And of course, leave it to her to say something like that. “All right, Greta,” I said, draping my arm around her shoulders. “Why don’t you show us to our table?”
Greta looked up at me and winked. “Only the best for you. Follow me.”
She slipped out of my arm, and nodded for us to follow her. We walked into the main dining area which only had six private tables. The walls were the brick of the original building and each individual section had a table with four chairs and an antique couch, all draped off with long, deep red colored curtains to give the guests a sense of intimacy. That was why it was so hard to get a reservation. The Violantes wanted to provide their guests with the best, and it turned out that people paid well to have that experience.
Greta strolled past the other guests to the back hallway, sneaking a wink at me as she started up the staircase. Faith looked around, her eyes lit with wonderment as she took it all in. I knew she’d like it. Once we got to the top of the stairs, there was a single doorway.
Greta stopped in front of it, and placed her hand on the handle. “This is the best seat in the house.” When she opened the door, I stepped back so Faith could take the first glimpse. Even Greta appeared excited to see what Faith thought.
Faith stepped outside and the excitement on her face was something I’d never seen before. “Oh my God, this is amazing. It’s so beautiful up here.”
We were on the roof, with the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the city. On the left side of the roof was a greenhouse and a garden. The Violante’s prided themselves on growing most of their herbs and vegetables. On the right side was a single table just like they had in the main dining room below with candles and a bottle of red wine.
Faith went over to the table, and Greta patted my arm, her voice low. “I’m going to give you two a minute to be alone.”
