War: D'amato Brothers 6

by Vera Roberts

  Darren breathed hard through his nose and sat back in his chair. Therefore, that’s how the D’Amatos were able to do their dirt and no one knew a bad thing. Pay them off and go about their business. He won’t be that easy. “I’m not for sale.”

  “Oh, I think you want to entertain this offer, D. The D’Amatos could have filed charges against Simone and that would’ve looked very bad if word got out in her role with the family. There’s a reason why Eli never mentioned her by name ever.” Ronnie sternly warned. “You may not care about your reputation, D., but Simone cares about hers. No one is going to go to an event planner who helped ruin someone’s marriage. What bride is going to trust her?”

  “I know her past and she regrets her role,” Darren defended, “a lot has changed since what happened between her and Eli back then. She wants to move on.”

  “So does Eli,” Ronnie added, “he’s also requesting a DNA test to ensure he is Elena’s father.”

  “What?” Surprise flashed across Darren’s face. “This is news.”

  “He’s always questioned if he was Elena’s father and now he wants to confirm before he makes visitation and child support arrangements.”

  “Fucking beautiful,” Darren shook his head, “didn’t have a problem knocking her up but has a problem with being Elena’s father?” He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll talk to Simone about a paternity test. This will settle everything once and for all.” A knock interrupted their meeting and Darren called the person in.

  “Mr. Matthews?” His Cuban maid, Eloisa, replied. “You have a visitor. Mr. Chavez.”

  “That’s my next appointment, Ronnie.” Darren stood up and shook the older man’s hand. “Thank you for stopping by.”

  “I’ll keep you posted,” Ronnie gathered his suitcase and jacket. He paused and turned to Darren. “I meant what I said about the D’Amatos, D. You don’t want to fight them. They have many friends in high places that will make things difficult for you and Simone.” He left.

  Darren’s lips pursed at the information. Who could the D’Amatos possibly know? All they ever hung out were Z-list reality stars, forgettable rappers, and a sprinkle of A-listers. None of them he would consider remotely powerful.

  His thoughts were interrupted when his private investigator, Juanes Chavez, walked in. He was a stocky, older man, who resembled an ‘80s news reporter that was permanently stuck in time.

  “Juanes, great to see you!” Darren beamed. “What do you have for me?”

  The private investigator opened his file. “Absolutely nothing.”

  Darren’s face became ashen. “You’re kidding me?”

  “Other than parking tickets, the family is clean like freshly-laundered money.” He slid the file over to Darren. “They have no dirty secrets or hidden tales. They all lead very private and quiet lives.”

  Darren studied the file that contained a dossier of each D’Amato family member. He knew their daily routines, where they liked to go shopping, even their hobbies.

  He knew their schedules, the children’s’ names, ages, and birthdates. The various charities the family has supported, and vacation getaways they went on.

  Nothing scandalous.

  All boring.

  He shook his head and tossed the folder aside. The D’Amatos were untouchable. Some ingrates that got lucky off a lottery winning some years ago literally had no dirt on them. Every Google search turned up nothing but positive feedback and experiences with the family.

  “Thank you for your help.” Darren reached into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of cash. He handed it over to the man. “We’ll be in touch if I need anything else.”

  “Pleasure doing business with you.” The man nodded and left.

  Darren stood up and stared out the window of his mansion. The D’Amatos have carefully avoided all scandal. Even with the problematic NYPD, people still spoke fondly of Arturo. No one had anything bad to say about the family.

  “The family,” Darren thought aloud, “no one has anything bad to say about the brothers. No one ever talks about their wives.” He thought about the next move he wanted to make. The reveal came to easily to him and he debated how badly he wanted to pursue it. Simone would be upset, but she would understand. Hell, after the beating Faith gave her, she might go along with the idea.

  It was a potential nasty scandal and Darren’s name would be in the news for that more than any passes he will make. It was a small price to pay in order to put the D’Amatos in their place and let Eli know who he’s dealing with.

  It was time to make some calls. The first one was the most crucial. “Yes, can I be connected to Eli D’Amato?”

  Four

  “I have to leave for a couple of days but I’ll be back on Sunday,” Nick began as he prepared dinner.

  His wife, Zerrin, looked up from the floor, where she was coloring with their toddler son, Pietro. “Oh?”

  “Eli wants me to accompany him to Houston for a second opinion on the situation,” Nick’s voice was ripe with irritation. He was already disgusted with his brother’s infidelity but truly astounded at the fact Eli didn’t use any protection. He found it particularly amusing that Eli was worried about an extra mouth to feed when the outcome could’ve been more deadly. “So I’m accompanying him and giving him a second opinion on what I think is going on and coming back on Sunday.”

  “And what do you think is going on?”

  “It’s suspect,” Nick admitted, “it’s a little too convenient to be a change of heart situation. Eli himself admitted Elena doesn’t really resemble the other kids.”

  “Now is that a fact or he just wants to get out of paying support?”

  “That’s why I’m going to check it out for myself,” Nick replied, “we have to see what happens from there.”

  “Okay,” Zerrin got up and walked into the guest closet. She pulled out a suitcase and began packing.

  Nick stopped chopping vegetables and watched his wife move around the house with an extra pep in her step. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going with you,” Zerrin shrugged. “We have enough money in our account, right?”

  “Why?”

  “Because if that hussy makes a move on you, I’m going to put her in the hospital and you’re going have to bail me out and support us while I’m on leave.”

  ~~~~~

  “So why are we here again?” Nick asked as he climbed the brick walkway.

  To remove himself from the growing tension inside his home, Eli took Nick on a spontaneous trip to Houston so Nick could see Elena for himself and interact with the little girl. Although most of the brothers had doubts about Elena’s paternity – Eli included – he still needed another opinion.

  Eli let out a small breath. The tension of the past several weeks were starting to eat at him. He’d lost a considerable amount of weight and the other night there was blood in his vomit. The stress was literally killing him. “I just need a second opinion.”

  “Something tells me you know this isn’t your child, Eli.” Nick bit.

  “I don’t know that.” Eli rephrased, holding onto his stomach. The dull pain made him wince. “That’s all.”

  Nick took off his sunglasses and glanced at his brother. The normally tanned Eli looked ashen. The clothes that hugged his muscular frame were hanging off him. “What’s really going on, baby bro?”

  “I think I need to go on vacation.” Eli replied. “Haven’t been myself lately.”

  “How has Faith been acting?” Nick asked.

  Eli would love to say Faith had been supportive and encouraging. The marriage did a spectacular 180 back to the way things were pre-Simone. They haven’t made love in weeks and Eli was officially sleeping in the guest room again.

  He wasn’t sure how much longer they were going to be married. “Too busy running the shop and going on about how Simone disrespected her. I’ve kept quiet because it’s ultimately my fault.” Eli rang the front door bell. “So, I’ve just been dealing with this on my o
wn.”

  Nick softly nodded. “You’re dying and your wife only cares about herself? Got it.”

  “Nick, it’s not like that…” Nick’s sharp glance made Eli choose better words. “Faye has every right to be angry at me.”

  “Her anger is misplaced. She’s actually angry at herself for not walking away when the opportunity was there.” Nick shook his head. “That’s why she’s angry.”

  “I get that much,” Eli bristled. “It’s still my fault, though.”

  “To a certain degree. Faith didn’t have to let Simone in. In fact, she could’ve called you or anyone else in the family to let us know what was going on. She chose not to. She wanted an opportunity to fight Simone and she got it.” Nick turned towards him. “Eli, you die and the following will still happen: Faith will live an expensive lifestyle because she found a new man to afford her, Nate will call another man Daddy, and your competition will still be trying to replicate your designs.” Nick grinned. “Get .Your. Shit. Together.”

  “I’m working on it,” Eli replied, “speaking of which, is your friend going to come through?”

  “Oh, They will.” Nick referred to his longtime friends, Senator Jay and Sanora Edwards, “you don’t have to worry about that at all.”

  “Greetings,” Simone opened the front door to her palatial estate. She smiled a big smile, ensuring all of her teeth – including her new ones – were shown. “Please come in.”

  Eli stepped inside with his oldest brother, Nick, hot on his tail. The men stood in the foyer and looked around for a moment. The last time Eli was at Simone’s home, she was in the process of redecorating. Hardwood floors, open ceilings, and sky blue painted walls made the home more luxurious than before.

  Darren’s money was helping.

  Eli shook his head to relieve the nasty thoughts. It wasn’t fair to Simone. Her event planning business was doing very well and she was considered to be one of the prime event planners in the country, often having celebrity and wealthy clients.

  On her own, Simone was unstoppable. With Darren, she would be undeniable.

  Eli swallowed the rising tension forming in his throat.

  Darren was currently in New York practicing so he couldn’t be at Houston with Simone, which was completely fine by Eli. He didn’t want to accidentally punch Darren several times in the face because the blond couldn’t shut the fuck up.

  “Daddy! Daddy!” Elena rushed over to Eli and hugged him. She wore a colorful dress with spaghetti straps and jean shorts. “I missed you, Daddy!”

  “I miss you, too, Princess.” Eli presented a teddy bear for Elena. “Guess who came with me?”

  “Is that for me?” Elena squealed.

  “It is!” Eli handed over the bear. “It’s from some special people back in New York – Nate, E.J., and Aubri. They hope to see you again!”

  “Me too!” Elena squeezed her teddy tight.

  “Elena,” Eli swallowed, “I brought someone over to talk to you. This is my brother, Nicky. He’s going to talk to you for a bit while I meet with your Mommy, okay?”

  “Okay!” Elena glanced up at Nick. “Do you like tea?”

  “I sure do!” Nick answered.

  Elena grabbed Nick’s hand and led him to the outside. “I have it all set up now…”

  Eli watched Elena sit in her chair and Nick, with his quarterback frame, managed to sit in one chair before he opted to sit on the grass. Nick had always been wonderful with children, despite how long it took him to become a father. Eli wasn’t surprised; if it wasn’t for Nick and Kieran, Eli wasn’t sure how he, Joey, and Tony would’ve ended up.

  “That was a nice thing you did for Elena, mentioning her siblings.” Simone began. Eli was annoyed she interrupted a peaceful moment. “That means a lot to her.”

  “Elena isn’t old enough to know she has siblings.” Eli gave a small grin when Elena and Nick toasted with pinkies up. Maybe she was a D’Amato, after all. “As far as she’s concerned, they’re just friends she sees in New York.” Eli turned to his ex. “We need to talk.”

  Eli’s tone had a quick bite of ice and Simone inwardly shuddered. “Oh?”

  “I don’t appreciate that shit between you and Faye a while back. I don’t care if you two hate each other but the moment it became physical, that’s where I draw the line.” His brown eyes grew increasingly darker with each word. “Not on my watch. That won’t ever happen again or I will quit you both.”

  Simone folded her arms and sucked her teeth. Once again she was the devil while Faith was the angel. Faith was so angelic yet she had a retaliation affair. Faith was so angelic yet she kept in contact with Darren for an entire year after they broke up.

  Simone wondered if Eli really knew how much his wife was hiding. “Did Faith get the same warning?”

  “She sure in the hell did,” Eli nodded. “And I’m repeating it for you so there’s no mistake.”

  “Oh what the fuck ever,” Simone rolled her eyes and walked into her kitchen. She stood at the sink and stretched her arms across it. She studied the window outside and focused her attention “Faith just has to get used to me being around, Eliodoro. I don’t necessarily care for this arrangement, neither, but that doesn’t matter now.”

  “I will handle my wife,” He replied in a tone that politely told Simone to mind her business, “don’t worry about her. Just focus on Elena, please? Thank you.”

  Simone harrumphed and shook her head. “I just knew there was going to be something. She won! She got you, and she got the kids! I don’t ever talk about her or even want to. Why does she care about me and what I’m doing? I swear it’s like the time I spoke to her at the salon when we were dating.”

  Eli slowly turned his head toward her. His heartbeat quickened as a small fire lit inside him. “Can you run that by me again?”

  “I confronted her at the salon when we dated,” Simone folded her arms and defended her actions, “I asked her when she was going to sign the divorce papers and she was defiant.”

  “You did what?” Eli glared at her. “Why? I didn’t ask you to get involved, Simone.”

  Simone felt Eli’s words to her core. She hated how he could still impact her as if nothing ever happened. “You were dragging your feet so I felt confronting Faith would speed up everything,” she stood her ground, “I don’t regret it.”

  Eli understood Faith’s actions even more. He felt silly getting angry at his wife when she was pushed to the brink of explosion. He would make it up to her when he arrived home. “Of course you didn’t,” Eli walked up to her and cornered Simone against the sink, “don’t pull that shit again.”

  Simone smelled Eli’s spicy cologne and felt a sudden dampness in her panties. Eli was so damn hot when he was pissed off. Even though he didn’t look like himself, Simone felt her knees buckle and warmth travel through her body.

  “What are you doing?” Simone giggled as she washed dishes.

  “Helping you,” Eli nibbled on the small of her neck and wrapped his arms around her, “I want to make sure you get everything nice and clean.”

  “Nice and clean, huh?” Simone turned to her boyfriend. “I don’t see you getting all soapy and wet?”

  Eli dipped his hands into the sink full of water and covered Simone’s as she scrubbed a plate. “There,” he nibbled her earlobe, “I’m helping you clean.”

  Simone felt Eli’s erection press against her cheeks and she wiggled her ass. “Is that all?”

  “Maybe,” Eli took his soapy hands and trailed them along Simone’s arms. He reached in front of her jean shorts and pulled them down. He slid a hand inside her pink panties and found how hot she was for him. “I’m going to fuck you,” he whispered.

  Simone could only nod as she heard Eli unbuckle his jeans and the faint sound of foil ripped open. Eli softly bit each of her cheeks before he spread her legs apart and pushed two fingers inside. “You can keep cleaning, baby,” he moaned.

  Simone held onto the kitchen sink as Eli’s fingers penetrat
ed her from behind. Her sex quivered around his thick fingers; his thumb circling her clit. She whimpered and gasped as he changed his tempo from hard to achingly slow. “I…can’t…clean.” She breathed.

  “Am I distracting you?” He whispered while he continued to play with her. “You want to come all over my fingers, Moni?” He stroked her faster.

  Simone clenched the sink as hard as she could. Her body rode Eli’s fingers in the tempo he wanted. Her breath was stolen, her body shook, and Simone could only grunt and moan her appreciation.

  The orgasm came hard and fast, shocking her still. She fell against Eli’s body and breathed hard through her nose as he removed his fingers. She heard the faint sound of a condom wrapper opening and Simone was suddenly bent over the sink.

  Eli pushed inside her and pulled her back up to his level. He clasped one hand around her throat while the other hand remained on her waist. His jeans were around his ankles and he still wore his Timbs while “U” by H.E.R. played in the background.

  Simone gasped and her eyes widened as she felt all of Eli inside her. His strokes were deep, hard, and fast. “Choke me harder, baby.” She breathed.

  “Like this?” Eli squeezed more around her throat and Simone nodded. “You like it when I choke you, huh?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” She whimpered.

  “Simone.”

  Simone blinked, shaking the memory away. Eli was still in front of her and she could smell his spicy cologne. “You will not speak to my wife ever again.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “It’s a promise,” he backed away, “I’m not having discord between you two because of something I did years ago. You don’t have to like each other but you will not disrespect my name.”

  “Speaking of being disrespectful,” Simone began, “I received notice you wanted a DNA test.”

  Five

  It was an overcast day in Harlem, with moody, grey skies and threatening clouds. It was one thing Faith always loved about New York – no matter the weather, she could fully experience all four seasons in their glory.