Intensity

by Eden Fortae

  “Yes, Allie? ...I don’t have any meetings set for today… No, I’m on my way.”

  With the ending of the call, Donny’s humor and the light-hearted mood between them disappeared.

  “Liliana resurfaced and is currently waiting for me in my office.”

  The increased interest in Kya seemed to have dissolved the issue that was Liliana. Instead of putting all his time into looking for the lying bitch, he was doing more positive things that kept him out of trouble. Donny strongly believed that there was a catch to Kya. In his mind, she was the sharp edges of a pretty picture that lured you in for a touch despite knowing you would get cut. However, he could not deny that her presence had put his cousin on a better path. Lily being back, threatened his progress. Her name alone already managed to undo him. Seeing her would undoubtedly make matters worse. Antonio was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions and taking care of himself, but there was no way in hell Donny was going to let things go down without him.

  “Let’s not keep her waiting.”

  Antonio had to brace himself and convince Donny to stay in the lobby. He knew it. The moment he laid eyes on Liliana, Antonio knew she was trouble. That fact had enticed him all the more. She was a thin woman, artificially tanned, and busty. Other than that, just average. The only reason she had caught his eye was because of the attitude that he sensed without her having to speak. Being a married woman was the least of his concerns when she initially spread her legs for him. The only thing that mattered was the fact that she tried to steal his freedom and it was taking all he had not to strangle her on sight.

  Upon entering, Antonio tried to leave his anger with Donny, approaching the conversation with a calm tone. Her grin killed all hopes of that. Bright red lips spreading across her face kept his eyes there rather than on the exposed skin of her thighs courtesy of that too short dress. Although he was not looking, he’d noticed and failed to be aroused by it as he once was.

  “There you are, Baby! And here I was, thinking I’d have to step on that little mouse up front to find out where you were. How have you been? I know you missed me.”

  When Antonio continued to stand there with a stone face, Liliana cocked her hip, crossing her arms.

  “Still pretending I wasn’t more than a good fuck, I see.”

  He didn’t realize he was gritting his teeth until he had to unlock his jaw for a taunting smile.

  “You weren’t even a decent fuck, Lily. That’s why you were never more.”

  The snort she gave was without visual humor. She perched herself on the edge of Antonio's desk while she raked her fingers through shoulder length hair.

  “I would love to debate you on that or even revisit every time you came because of me. However, I’m here, because I need to know what’s up with this bitch you were on TV with.”

  He mimicked her reaction, yet his chest jerked from a chuckle.

  Forever the jealous type despite having no claim over him, he had never considered Liliana’s reaction to those pictures. If he had, he could have prepared for her pop up. He would have been ready with a plan that would have afforded him a better opportunity to fulfill every violent fantasy she invoked. Instead, he would have to make do with the circumstances.

  Slowly, Antonio walked toward her. The entire time, his eyes locked on hers. When he stopped, he was close enough to taste her perfume with every breath. He could see each blemish she tried to conceal with makeup, and practically feel the change in her heart rhythm. Despite her place on his desk, she still had to crane her neck to look into his eyes. The gesture precisely what he needed.

  Without warning, his hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck. A squeal of surprise was all she could manage as he pulled her against him, his fingers pressing into her soft flesh. The look in his eyes was as cold and uncaring as the stance he took over her while she gasped and fought desperately to get free.

  “You push shit across borders for me? Huh, Lily? I’ve never told you anything about me that can’t be found online.” He chuckled menacingly, “I never even told you that I like you as a friend. So, how does a woman of no real importance come up with such a tale?” He lowered his head to plant a bruising kiss on her lips, allowing her to feel his anger and not just see it. “Tell me.”

  “I—he—he came to me.” Hearing that, Antonio released her with a not so gentle jerk. Putting his hands on a woman was typically a never, but the bottled anger would not allow restraint. Nor did it allow him to care about the coughing, wheezing, and gasps that followed her release. “I was pissed. I was ready to end my marriage for you, and all you wanted was to fuck me in hotel rooms like a basic whore. You were treating me like I was worthless, so I wanted you to hurt. That cop approached me in the police station.”

  “Approached you saying…?”

  She eyed him harshly but didn’t dare speak what was on her mind. “That he was building a case against you and needed anything I could provide him.”

  “Which was?” He pressed further, the tone of his voice still low and threatening.

  “As you said,” she sneered, “I don’t know anything that can’t be found online.”

  The scary calm that all predators took on before going in for the kill, washed over Antonio. His hand shot out again, this time, taking a fist full of her hair as he damned near pulled her off the desk.

  “You’ve always been a terrible liar, Lily. You can be mad at me all you want, but you better fucking tell me everything or I swear me choking you will seem like foreplay compared to what I will do.”

  She stared at him, her eyes going back and forth from his eyes to his lips. Rather than seeing the seriousness in his words, it was almost as if she’d taken them as the declaration of a hungry lover.

  “Typical Liliana,” Antonio thought, noticing the glossing of her eyes and biting of her lower lip. Once upon a time, that look would lead to rough sex. So rough that it left war marks. Something like that, right now, for a woman with an ax to grind would be the ammunition she needed to hurt him as she just confessed. Realizing this, Antonio let her go for the second time and put space between them to calm himself.

  “I won’t ask you again.”

  “He asked me if I knew about your father and any drug involvement. I said I did to see what he’d tell me. I just went with it. Anything as long as it hurt you the way you hurt me.”

  “You going to cry me a river, now?”

  “Fuck you, you selfish bastard!”

  “No thanks.” He winked, stepping away from her to make his way to his seat. Along the way, he scanned over his desk, drawers, and the file cabinets to see if anything looked out of place. The fact that she had spoken to Rich and was set on vengeance was reason enough to check for planted items or anything missing. Although there was nothing there for either of them to use, Donny would have to do a full sweep after closing.

  “And that black bitch?” Liliana slid off the desk finally, still rubbing her neck. “You fucking her now?”

  Again, Antonio found himself chuckling. The woman before him thought she could question him. Truly believed in her heart that what he did and with whom was her business. It amused him. Not only because he knew better, but because she had no clue how close she was to losing her life. How much he wanted to keep squeezing her neck until the light went out behind her eyes but chose not to only because of that “black bitch.”

  Why Kya was now her saving grace could only be attributed to his subconscious thoughts brought about by the contrast between the two women. Where Lily was an obvious gold-digger who married a man twice her age for stability, Kya was willing to work for a better life. Liliana always dropped hints about material things she wanted and Kya wasn’t even a fan of expensive dates. Liliana wanted the fame that came along with being at his side and Kya? Kya just wanted the truth. Perhaps it was that last thought that prevented his former bed warmer’s death. The intense desire to make things right with a woman he should avoid.

  “Yeah, you are. That’s why y
ou’re acting brand new. You went and got yourself a hood rat that’s probably giving you the pussy for a steak and shopping sprees at Walmart. No, it has to be more than just her giving you the pussy for you to be seen with her. Blackmail, maybe?”

  That was enough for Antonio. The longer the woman stood in his presence speaking about Kya, the harder it became to stick to his decision not to kill her. Leaning forward, he grabbed the phone, dialing the front desk while boldly staring into her dark brown eyes.

  “Send security.”

  “You cannot be serious.”

  “Thank you, Allie.”

  “Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable! So, the time we had meant so little to you that you can move on to the next?”

  Antonio shook his head slowly and slouched in his chair, “Did the time we had mean so much to you that you thought you could change my mind? Don’t come at me with that sorry ass attempt at a guilt trip like you feel anything close to love for me. I’m a meal ticket. I’m diamonds, and furs, vacations around the world, and your gateway to someone with even more money. I saw right through you in the beginning and let you play your game only to show you that you were the one who got played.”

  She looked stunned. Utterly perplexed by his assessment, but nothing in her expression revealed an ounce of denial, and there were no attempts of a rebuttal.

  As the office door opened and a man in uniform came for her with Donny close behind, Lily glanced over her shoulder while holding up her hands in surrender.

  “I just came to ask you, why. You were so worried about me tarnishing your image, but why not her? Why were you so comfortable with being in public with her and never me?”

  For the first time, the hurt she claimed she felt was there. Antonio could hear it, and internally, it bothered him. The guard took hold of Lily’s elbow, pulling her out of the office. In their absence, Donny just stood in the doorway, looking him over.

  Why? Why had he been so comfortable with Kya to take her out in public? His life was nothing compared to A-listers and those he built homes for but being single while building multi-million dollar homes still warranted cameras and the gossip. Those bloggers and bullshit sites were always on the lookout for anything that could garner more credibility for them, and by taking her out, he had given it to them unintentionally.

  Suddenly, Antonio sat up in his chair, looking to Donny once more. Liliana had no clue, but she had just given him an idea that was so perfect he grinned from ear to ear.

  FOURTEEN

  Heavenly scents, spices, freshly cooked vegetables, and something delightful greeted Antonio at the door. As usual, his mother was cooking up a storm for their weekly family dinner. Judging by the exaggerated laughter coming from the den, his sister Julie and her son had beat him there.

  On his way to the kitchen, he ducked his head into the room where Anthony sat on his knees laughing his heart out at Spongebob. For a minute he just watched him, seeing himself as a kid or what he wished he could have been. Innocent. Carefree. A child without the weight of the world or his family on his shoulders. He needed that image of Anthony to remain framed within his mind at all times to remind himself of what he needed to protect.

  “Hola, gemelo.”

  “Tony!” He shot up from the floor and jumped into his arms. Effortlessly, Antonio picked him up, embracing him back before he ruffled his thick curls. “This hair is getting crazy, kid. Are you going to let Abuela cut it soon?”

  Anthony’s eyes went wide as he shook his head wildly. “No way! If I get it cut, I won’t be your twin anymore, and I want to look like you.”

  That warmed his heart despite already knowing how much the kid idolized him. From day one, he had been there for his nephew by taking on the role the child’s father decided he didn’t want upon learning of Julie’s pregnancy. That meant diaper changes, keeping him to give his sister a break, and everything in between.

  He was there when Anthony took his first steps, smiled for weeks when he learned to say his name, and attended every school event his schedule would allow. An attachment to each other was deeply rooted. By blood, they were uncle and nephew, but at heart, they were father and son. That declaration still made a tremendous impact.

  “Oh, I see. You do realize that you will have to grow to look like me, right? A lot. And I know just the trick!”

  Flipping Anthony around until his little back cradled in his arms, Antonio pulled on each of his nephew’s legs as if to stretch them. Then, he did the same to his arms, tickling them as he did. His laughter grew so loud that it drew attention.

  He placed Anthony back on his feet, smiling at his big sister who was shaking her head.

  “If you give him a cousin, you don’t have to be a kid with him,” she signed, to which he merely grinned and pulled her into a hug. Since learning of Kya, Julie had been on the baby boat beside his mother.

  While in that hug with his sister, he pulled out the money he had in his front pocket and slipped it into hers. As she pulled back and realized what he’d done, she held the folded bills up, tilting her head.

  “That’s for you to do something for you,” he signed back to her. “I take care of Anthony, and you take care of you. You know how this works.”

  Julie shook her head again but did not argue. He knew how hard it was for her to take his money and not press the issue at the same time. Becoming partially deaf so young brought about pity that she despised. There has always been a sense of babying that Julie hated with a passion. In every way possible, she fought to maintain her independence. Literally, at times. As she was turning to walk away from him, anger evident, he caught her by the arm and kissed her cheek. To lighten the mood, Antonio ruffled her hair, earning himself an arm swat.

  In the background, Karrina seemed more interested in what was on her phone. She was still upset with him. He hated that and before the end of the night, would rectify it. Even if it meant holding her down and employing their nephew to help tickle her.

  While watching his little sister, their mother came forward with her arms out. She cupped his cheeks, forcing him to lean down.

  “Hola, Antonito,” she kissed him on the bridge of his nose. Her tone was flat, somber as a result of his absent father despite how she tried to mask.

  “Hi, Ma. How are you?”

  “I’m well. It makes me happy to have my family around me, always.” She said that, but he could see in her eyes that happy was a lie in itself. “How are you?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Are you?” Just like he could read her, she was reading him, too.

  “Sí, estoy bien. I promise. Could you do the same?”

  As his mother pursed her lips, she looked down, and that was her answer. Placing his hands over hers that were still holding his face, brought her eyes back up to his.

  “Yes. I promise you that I mean what I say. But, this hard head of yours would make you think otherwise. I could dance and sing around this house like Karrina, and the part of you that thinks you need to keep me happy would always question it. When will you realize that I am the parent and that it is not for you to worry about me?”

  Taking her hand, he kissed the back and whispered, “Never,” and pulled away. He was going to do things a different way, but at seeing his mother look as if she were having one of those days she pretended did not exist, he decided it could no longer wait.

  “Tonito?” She called out to him as he made it to the door and gasped when it opened. He never wanted to see her cry and be the reason that she did, but seeing those tears paired with pure joy, he could not help but smile.

  His father stepped in and walked toward his mother. Maybe she needed him to get closer, to touch her to see that it was not a dream, but when Javier held his arms out for her, she launched herself into them.

  From behind her, Julie followed, putting her arms around them both, and then Karrina did the same. Within seconds of their group hug, sobs filled the hall. Even as his sisters pulled away, their mother held onto Javier, her
face buried in his chest. She was crying so hard that his shirt muffled her words.

  “I kept my parole hearing a secret. I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case they denied me, again. A few of the guards and my trade instructors spoke at my hearing. For whatever reason, Rich was not there, so things went well. I asked Antonio ahead of time to pick me up, and he came through for me so I could surprise all of you.”

  Had his mother not been holding onto his father for dear life, he had no doubt she would have given him another hug. The watery smile was good enough. He understood why she would not want to let his father go and something about it touched a nerve.

  Those two—his father, to be exact, was the reason why he did not want love or to be loved, yet found himself a little envious as he watched them. They had been through hell and the dreaded high waters but still acted as if love was worth it. Javier had taken her through every damned thing, and she was still holding him down. She still loved him like their love was worth it.

  But, was it? Was love worth the pain and heartache he thought it to be? Was the chance to love, greater than the drawbacks?

  For his mother, Antonio could be happy. For his sisters and Anthony, he could be happy. For himself, happiness and acceptance were still a long way out. Until he saw the change his father spoke of, he would be at a distance.

  “Excuse me,” Anthony tapped Javier on the leg. He looked up at Javier with a brave face and fierceness in his brows, “Don’t I know you?”

  Elia released Javier as he knelt down to Anthony’s height. “Sí, nieto. You do know Spanish, yes?”

  “Of course I do. That’s how Aunt Rina yells at people.” His small shoulder jerked when Karrina nudged him. His little lips were biting back laughter.