by Vera Roberts
“Tell me about me it,” Eli shook his head. “He’s always teaching me new things every day. Like he recently discovered Scooby-Doo and that’s all I’m watching and hearing for the past few months. It’s like, when you see it in the eyes of a kid, your perspective completely changes.”
“Sounds like you’re in love with your boy,” Simone commented.
“Always, all the time.” Eli said proudly. “What about you? Don’t you want children one day?”
“One day,” Simone commented. “I just don’t know when. I’m more focused on getting my business off the ground before settling down and popping out some kids.”
“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing?”
“No, it’s not. I love the idea of having a family. I love the idea of being hopelessly and ridiculously committed to one person. I love the idea of Capri-Suns and orange slices on hectic Saturday mornings. I love all of that. But right now, I’m in love with building the best damn event-planning business New York has ever seen.”
“I hear that,” Eli agreed, “now let’s talk business.”
For better part of the afternoon, the pair negotiated on flowers, arrangements, and different prices Eli could offer to Simone. He showed her some dummy bouquets and brought out several portfolios of various centerpieces and other events they had done in the past. With every picture she saw, Simone was more impressed with Eli. He knew the best flowers to complement the bride’s dress and skin tone, which flowers were in season, and which ones would make the best impression on the guests—giving the wow factor that so many brides wanted.
Furthermore, Eli was passionate about his work. He knew flowers. He knew arrangements. He knew what worked and what didn’t. He could tell the difference between succulents, coxcombs, and calla lilies. He knew what flowers would be overbearing and what could work instead. And with his gorgeous looks and warm demeanor, there was no question why he was a big reason—if not the sole one—why many brides recommended Madre’s to their friends and families.
Simply put, Nicola was a genius.
“So, are we good to go?” Eli asked. “I need to head out of here but if you have any questions, just give me a call.” He quickly wrote his number on a card to Simone and gave it to her.
“Yep, we’re good,” Simone handed Eli her business card. “I have a few new brides, so we’ll definitely be in touch, Eli.”
Eli looked behind Simone and noticed it was already dark outside. “Hey, let me walk you to your car. I don’t want you walking out there by yourself.”
“I can see my car from here, Eli.” Simone mentioned. “I’ll be okay.”
He refused to listen. Eli walked to the door and opened it for Simone. “After you, milady.”
Simone gathered her things and walked to where Eli held the door open. “You do this for all the event planners?”
“If I answer that question, you might accuse me of not being fair,” he winked.
Simone started walking to her car with Eli right beside her. “So, I’m assuming that’s a yes.”
They arrived at her car and Simone unlocked it. “I think I’m fine now, Eli. Thank you for walking me to my car.”
“Not a problem. Call me anytime you need anything.” He gave her a warm embrace. “It was good to catch up with you.”
Simone closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Eli’s back. He smelled good. He felt even better. His muscular build enveloped her small and curvy one. She had already formed a schoolgirl crush on him and she knew it was going to be difficult to keep their relationship professional.
His wife is so damn lucky.
****
She looked up at her kitchen clock; it was nearly nine and her husband was more than three hours late. He was running late on their wedding anniversary. She huffed momentarily before she sipped on a glass of wine. When he walked through the front door, there had better be a gift that accompanied him.
Faith D’Amato didn't know when Eli would get in, if he was going to be in before midnight. No matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to have good luck getting out of the shop at a reasonable hour. Most of the time, he stayed behind to clean up and map out the following day. Sometimes, he went to Happy Hour with his brothers, coworkers, and friends. But no matter what, Eli always came home. He might have been a little drunk. He might have been frustrated by a bride or two. But no matter what, he was home.
The thought of it brought a smile to Faith’s face. She always considered herself lucky she got the “good D’Amato” in Eli. All of the brothers were nice and would go out of their way to help someone, but there was something special about Eli. If they were walking down the street, he would make a point to say hello to everyone they passed. He would make conversation with the servers when they went out to dinner, wanting to get to know them and find out who they were behind the uniform.
Faith had known Eli for almost half of her life, long enough for him to practically raise her. She knew the moment she saw him delivering pizza to her she was in love with him. She merely waited for him to return the same feelings. When they did get together, their love was unstoppable.
She was just finishing the pasta dish when she heard his key in the door. The days of rushing to meet him in the foyer were over. Being a full-time mother and hairstylist, Faith was lucky she could even remember what day it was. Instead, she stayed in the kitchen, waiting for him.
“Faye? Honey, I’m home.” He searched throughout the house, seeking out his wife. He knew Faith loved it when he went on a hunt to find her, not waiting around for him. It was little things like that that kept the excitement in their marriage.
Eli knew he was different from his brothers by staying with the same woman for several years. They were on and off for years but somehow managed to find their way back to each other. On that fateful trip to Italy, Eli realized it was time to stop playing games and make an honest woman out of his girlfriend.
He proposed to her several times but her answer was always, ‘I’ll marry you when I’m done with school.’ So Eli waited. And waited. And waited. He waited so long, he briefly wondered if Faith purposely went to both cosmetology school (one year) and college (four years) just to irritate him. Eli wanted to live together, but Faith refused. She felt if they lived together, Eli would get used to having her “play” wife and not actually become one.
A year after she finally finished school, they were married in a lavish ceremony, inviting 350 of their closest friends, family, and associates. Faith wore a custom lace gown while Eli and his brothers had their own custom tuxedos. As part of her wedding present, Eli gifted an abandoned retail shop to his wife so she could set up shop in her hometown of Harlem and not too far from the luxury townhome they owned.
Faith was still standing at the stove when Eli dropped his messenger bag in the dining room and entered the kitchen. Sliding in behind her, he put his hands on her waist and bent to kiss her neck. “Hey,” his voice was low, rumbling in his chest.
Faith felt her heart flutter like a butterfly. No matter how long he'd been gone, or how little she saw him now, the sound of his voice and the touch of his fingers always did something to her. “Hey, yourself,” she responded without turning, still stirring the pot on the stove.
He made no apologies for being late. Instead, his chin rested on her shoulder, his thumb caressing her hip in a circular motion. He slowly swayed with her to the sounds of Jodeci and briefly wondered why they both were still fully clothed. “That smells good, baby girl,” he complimented.
Faith nodded and rested her cheek against the side of his head. “It's something new.”
“I like it.” He turned his face to kiss her neck and she moaned. No matter how long they had been together, there was still magnetic energy between him and Faith. He felt it and pulled her even closer to his broad chest. “Little man at nonna’s?” Her soft and toned body complimented his muscular one. It was more than sex or physical want. Even when Faith gained a considerable amount of weight during her
pregnancy, Eli still thought his wife was sexy as hell. She challenged his mind and what he thought. She encouraged him to do his best. And even when he thought he failed, she was always right there beside him.
“He was insistent he stay with her tonight.” She smiled as she thought of their son, Nathan. “I think it’s because nonna gives him ice cream after dinner.”
Eli quietly laughed. “My mom spoils him rotten.”
“The first grandchild, she’s bound to.” Faith was silent for a moment, deciding whether to eat the dinner that she made, or turn and enjoy the man holding her, the one she hadn’t spent time with in nearly a week. They saw each other first thing in the morning and late at night. They kept in contact via text and social networking but that was it. With wedding season rapidly approaching, they both were insanely busy with booking appointments. “You smell good, too,” she smiled, a playful urge taking over. “Little flowery.”
“Hmm?” Eli asked, distracted. He pulled the strap of her tank top away to kiss her bare shoulder.
“Hope she was as classy as that perfume she left all over you,” Faith added, making no attempt to step out of his embrace.
Eli shrugged. “It was a new client and I gave her a hug.”
“You know I don’t believe a word of your bullshit, right?” She answered.
Reaching into the pocket of his dress pants, Eli withdrew a black, velvet box and reached around Faith’s waist again. Holding the box to her eye line, he returned his chin to her shoulder. “I brought you something.”
Faith dropped the spoon in the pot and opened the box to reveal a pink diamond tennis bracelet. She didn’t like to show off the money they had, but when Eli wanted to spoil his wife, he went all out. She had the designer bags, expensive jewelry, and tricked-out SUV to prove it. With a smile, she turned in his arms. “Eli, it's beautiful,” she smiled at him.
That smile got him every time and he grinned like a proud school kid. “Yeah? You like it?”
“Of course,” she smiled, leaning up on her tip-toes to kiss his lips for the first time.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flesh against his body to deepen the kiss. He sucked gently on her lips, rolling his tongue over them, and then slid it into her mouth, playing with her tongue while his hands roamed her back and slide down over her ass. He buried his head in her hair and whispered, “I missed you, baby girl.”
Faith moaned and leaned back slightly, exposing her neck to him and closed her eyes. “I missed you, too.”
He nipped at the soft skin of her neck, his hands holding tightly to her waist and back. “How much?” He asked before dipping his head to run his tongue over the hollow of her throat.
“A lot,” She whispered, barely breathing as he slipped a hand under the hem of her shirt and ran a smooth palm over her warm skin.
“How much?” He asked again, pulling his kisses away to unabashedly drift his gaze down her shirt. He moved an index finger to her chest, lightly brushing the top of her breasts.
Faith fell limply into Eli’s arms. She knew what was going to happen next. “A lot.”
“How much is a lot?” He asked as he pulled her tank top back to kiss her breast just above the nipple.
“A lot,” she answered, slightly annoyed at him for asking the same damn question more than once.
He smirked at her, kissing her other breast, and then stood up, his eyes moving around the kitchen and dining room. “A lot, huh?”
Faith rolled her eyes as she stepped away, turning back to the stove and turning it off. “Are you gonna eat or not?” She turned to get a response, and suddenly realized that her husband was probably starving. But he didn’t want pasta. His eyes were boring into her, and it was clear that he wanted something that she hadn’t cooked that night. “That's not what I meant,” she warned him playfully.
Moving toward the dining room table, Eli held out a hand. “Come here.”
Faith shook her head. “Dinner.”
“You really wanna eat some spaghetti when I'm waiting to eat your pussy?” He boldly asked her, causing a gasp from her. “It'll be fine, baby girl.” He held out a hand again.
Faith hesitated. She wanted to feel the soft roughness of her husband’s tongue on her, but she also wanted to wait. She just started dinner, for heaven’s sake. “Eli…”
“Baby girl…” He purred. He only called her that name to get her going and she knew it, too. Her stubbornness slowly dissipated as her stance dropped. Dinner would be ready for them both later. For the time being, his wife had something that would give him more sustainable pleasure than high-caloric marinara sauce and pasta.
Eli led Faith to the dining room and grabbed her waist again, pulling down the yoga pants and G-string panties she was wearing. He hoisted her onto the dining room table and put his hands on her knees, spreading her legs. A slow smile grew on Eli’s face as he pulled up a chair and sat down.
His wife had a gorgeous body. Perky, chocolate teardrop breasts. A taut stomach. Long and thick legs. An ass that bounced with every movement she made. Her eyes were dangerous, often cutting Eli to his core and Faith didn’t have to say a word. Her lips were hypnotizing, pleasuring him in so many ways.
But what Eli loved more than anything, his favorite body part on his wife—was her sex. It was hot, wet, and unbelievably tight, clenching on his fingers. Eli knew the moment he slid his thick shaft inside her, it was a done deal. Since they had been together, she was just for him and only him; with Faith gifting her virginity to him during their teen years. It was a thought tattooed on his brain and he never forgot it, even telling Faith at one time as he masturbated her in the parking lot of a high-end restaurant, “I own this.”
He placed a gentle kiss on the inside of each of her thighs and raised his gaze to her as he lightly stroked her chocolate folds. “God, I missed this pussy,” Eli sighed. He kissed her pelvic bone and then sat back, fully aware that she was watching him, but unable to tear his gaze from the treasure before him. “I missed touching it,” he said, running his finger over her wet slit.
“Shh,” she whispered. Faith closed her eyes and stilled her body. It was that moment she realized the last time she and Eli made love. Sometime that week? Sometime the week before? Maybe that month? She honestly couldn’t remember nor did she care. She did care, however, that he wasn’t giving her what she wanted at the current moment. Dinner would just have to wait a bit longer.
Eli traveled his finger from his wife’s sex up to her stomach and caressed her breasts, lightly wetting them with her own moisture. A cocky smirk replaced the cool, smooth smile he had once his fingers reached Faith’s mouth to taste.
As she sucked on it, Eli smiled again, sensing the hunger inside her as she writhed beneath him. “You like that, baby girl? Sucking on my finger like it was my cock between your lips?” With his other hand, he started using his index finger to lightly brush her clit. “I missed you sucking my cock.”
Faith groaned and shifted a little bit on the table. She was conflicted—longing for that release, but wanting the sweet torture to last. Her husband’s dirty talk did not help matters. If he wanted her to cum before he got started, she was about to grant him his wish. “Stop talking,” Faith warned him, a little more seriously this time.
“I missed licking this pussy,” he sighed, ignoring her as he dipped his head to flick his tongue over her swollen clit, just a couple of times. It was enough to make her legs shake a little bit. He steadied her thighs as he began to run the tip of his tongue over her slit, slowly dragging it up and down and then back up again. “Mmm. . . missed tasting you on my tongue.”
She felt it approaching—a powerful orgasm that can only be brought on by his words, his body, and some absence. Normally, she could hold out, but it'd been a long time, and he was trying so hard to make her explode. She wanted to tell him to stop talking, that it was going to make her cum before she was ready, but she couldn’t form words. Instead, a soft whimper came out, “Eli.”
He knew she was trying to fight it, but he knew he had plenty more orgasms to give her that night. Raising his head, he rolled her clit between his fingers and kissed her belly, just below her navel. “Come on, baby girl,” he encouraged. “Cum for me.”
“Oh god,” she groaned, her ass lifting off the table as he rubbed her clit quickly, between his thumb and his forefinger.
“That's it, baby girl,” he encouraged, his voice low and unaffected, though Faith’s breathing and occasional moans made it hard for him to stay composed. “Cum on my fingers now,” He demanded, sliding one inside of her and pulling it out again as he returned to her clit. “And I'll let you come on my dick in a few minutes.”
Faith screamed out a loud “Fuck yes,” as he found her spot and her body began to shake. The orgasm crashed in on her as he sucked her clit between his lips and then flicked it with his tongue.
“Come on, baby girl,” he whispered, taking a moment to run his tongue over her clit.
