Where I Wanna Be

by Vera Roberts

  “Yep and my daddy wasn’t having none of that. But once he got to know Eli, he saw that he was a nice guy and wasn’t trying to hurt me. Eli asked for his permission to marry me and my daddy was like, ‘You can have my permission now that she’s still in school or you can have my blessing when she’s finished.’ So Eli was like, ‘Well, I’ll just wait.’ Poor thang… he didn’t realize I was going to be in school for five years!”

  “Wow…” Crystal was amazed. “He waited five years?”

  “We were on and off. He kept asking me to marry him and I kept telling him over and over, ‘I will marry you when I’m done with school’. He got tired of waiting and I was like, ‘Well, leave then! I’m not stopping you from doing what you want to do.’” Faith gave a look that read, ‘you believe that shit?’ “But once he realized that there was nobody out there better than me, he came back.”

  “He always came back!” Kimberly said to other nods and agreements around the salon.

  “Sounds like you were meant to be,” Crystal commented.

  “You know, it’s one of those things where if it’s true love, they’ll always come back to you. If they don’t, they were never yours to begin with.” Faith smiled. “We’ve been through a lot though. We were together when we had no money. We were together when we got money. We have come a long way…”

  “I’m sure the lottery helped some?” Crystal asked.

  “You have to understand our history. You see, Nicola won the lottery and my parents have money. But did they offer to help at first? Hell, no. They wanted us to experience life in the trenches. I can remember the time when we were so broke, we slept on an air mattress because we couldn’t afford a bed. We ate hot dogs, cup of noodles, and microwave dinners because I didn’t know how to cook!”

  “She still doesn’t…” Cameron smirked.

  “Anyway,” Faith dismissed her stylist, “after our parents were able to see that we were responsible, they gave us money. We were able to afford the house we wanted and we bought some cute toys with it. He did help me start up this salon and his mother used a bit of the money for the family business. But it was really us and our hard work. We both are ambitious and determined. I could’ve just gone to cosmetology school and that would’ve been it. He could’ve just gone to school for his graphic design degree and that would’ve been it. But we both were hungry for more and we grew together. You can have all the money in the world but if you have no ambition, you’re just wasting it.” Faith put the finishing touches on Crystal’s hair.

  “Sounds like you’re a pro at this marriage thing,” Crystal commented.

  “Girl, marriage is hard work. I recommend this—lots and lots of communication. Always make sure you’re on the same page. You can have your disagreements and not see eye-to-eye about things. Don’t try to change him and don’t have him try to change you. And always, always… keep those feet on the ceiling,” Faith laughed.

  “Faith!” Kimberly laughed.

  “I’m just sayin’,” Faith removed the shampoo cape and dusted off Crystal’s shoulders. “Keep it hot and keep it fresh. Don’t give him a reason to stray.”

  “I’m not sure if you’re the best person to give that advice,” Krista curled a bridesmaid’s hair. “You’re known to withhold sex from Eli if he pisses you off.”

  “If I’m mad at him, I’m not giving him any. Why in the hell should I?” Faith huffed. “Be a man and apologize. Then he can have the kitty-cat all he wants.”

  “All right, missy…” Kimberly shook her head. “One day you’re going to do that and it’s going to backfire.”

  Faith held up her left hand, broadcasting her enormous wedding ring. “It hasn’t yet.”

  ****

  Eli stood in the back watching Simone direct traffic to the SHE and hotel staff. He had already sent his employees out to the respective locations to decorate and drop off the flowers while he stayed behind with other employees to decorate the reception area. The bride, Crystal, had a purple and silver theme for her September wedding, a little unusual for a fall wedding. With Eli’s help, she chose a variety of crisp and beautiful flowers such as roses, Peruvian lilies, and hydrangeas that were enhanced with crystal sprays and pins for an extravagant look. Purple, white, pink, and lavender rose petals were going to be splayed over the cake table and the bride and groom were going to have personalized roses waiting for them at their table, courtesy of Madre’s for their business.

  For the first time, Eli didn’t care about any of that. He was too busy focusing on Simone.

  She wore jeans and a tank top as she helped getting everything set up. He knew she would change into something more comfortable later but he didn’t mind seeing how her breasts bounced with every movement. Her jeans looked tight on her, as if they were painted on. She walked around the ballroom as she if owned it, directing everyone to their respective roles without being aggressive or demeaning. Assertive; that was the word Eli was looking for. Simone was assertive, like she had always been back in high school.

  He loved watching her in action. He knew there was something special about her back then, whenever she didn’t want to take shit from anybody. It was no surprise to him that she ended up running her own business. He just couldn’t fathom seeing her as a willful and obedient employee to anyone else.

  He momentarily took his eyes off her and looked at the set-up of the reception site. It was beautiful, lush in rich colors and had a grown-up vibe to it. He had been to too many receptions where it was romper room or something out of a magazine called Stingy R Us. The bride and the groom were on a strict budget—a little under twenty thousand for two hundred guests. But the way the reception was set up, the guests would think the bride and groom spent a fortune for their wedding.

  “Well, what do you think?” She asked.

  Eli slowly blinked and looked over to his right where Simone was standing. He didn’t know how long she had been standing next to him. All that mattered was she was talking to him and that made him happy. “It’s beautiful, Moni.” He smiled at her. “You’re truly amazing.”

  Simone didn’t want to read too much into what Eli said to her. She knew he was complimenting her services, though a part of her hoped he was also making a commentary on her. So much for that no-contact rule. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, Eliodoro.”

  Eli tightly clenched his fists upon hearing his government name. Simone always purred his name, like it rolled off her tongue dripping honey. “I wanted to talk to you privately about what happened the other night. I crossed a line that I shouldn’t have; and I’m very sorry for that,” Eli apologized. “But I wanted to make sure you knew I won’t do anything like that again.”

  But what if I want you to? “Understood.” Simone smiled.

  Eli needed to step away from Simone before there was a repeat performance of the other night. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to walk away this time. “Um, I’m going to set up shop with my employees and make sure everything is perfect on our end. So, I’ll see you again in a short bit.” He then walked away.

  Simone focused on Eli’s tight ass. She rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath. She would be able to focus on getting the reception together without being distracted by her lustful thoughts of her ex. She had decorated many weddings and events. This one shouldn’t be any different. Yeah, right.

  “What a hot one that is.” A SHE employee, Marla, watched Eli and his workers set up shop. “Good Lord, he’s gorgeous.”

  “Oh, Eli?” Simone tried to brush it off like it meant nothing. “He’s not bad looking.”

  Marla turned towards Simone. “Yeah, okay. Mr. Hottie McHottie was talking to you and you think he’s just ‘not bad looking’? Whatever.”

  “We’re friends,” Simone shrugged, hoping Marla would end the lust talk about Eli soon, “I only see him as a friend.”

  “Yeah, but you can admit your friend was pretty damn fine, right?” Marla asked.

  Simone felt herself growing defensiv
e. She didn’t want to talk about Eli. She didn’t want to talk about how attractive he was. And she damn sure didn’t want to give off any hint she was attracted to him. “He’s cute.”

  ****

  “All right, we’re on schedule with the flowers,” Eli glanced down at his watch as he met with some Madre’s employees. “We have just a few more things to set up and then we’re done for the day. The hotel staff will take care of the takedown tonight. We’ll pick up the extras on Monday morning. Good work, everyone!”

  “Yo, boss.” Marco approached Eli. “Is that chick you were talking to single?”

  “Simone?” Eli asked. “Yeah, she’s single. Why? You want the hook-up?”

  “Dude, she’s freakin’ hot! Have you seen her body?” Marco glanced back at Simone and shook his head. “Baby girl doesn’t know what she’s doing to my jeans right now, yo.”

  Eli laughed. “I don’t need details. I’ll see what I can do, how about that?”

  Marco pounded fists with his boss. “That’s what I’m talking about, baby! Let me know, all right?”

  “All right. But hey, I’m not promising anything.” Eli added. “If she says no, don’t get mad at me.”

  “She won’t say no to this,” Marco waved a hand over his frame.

  “Confidence,” Eli pointed to him, “I like that.”

  “Learned from the best,” Marco pointed back to him and left to help with the arrangements.

  It was a weird feeling—Eli didn’t want to introduce Marco and Simone to each other. They would probably hit it off and make a great couple. Maybe a few years down the line, they would get married and Marco might convince Simone to slow down and have some children. It would’ve been a win-win for all involved.

  That was the problem—they would hit it off. Eli was insanely jealous of a woman who wasn’t even his; and he loathed to think about setting her up with one of his friends. The flip side was he didn’t have a reason to be jealous. He was a happily married man. He had a wife who loved him passionately. He had a great home and just adored his son.

  He couldn’t stop playing the parking lot scene in his head over and over, as if it was stuck on rewind. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to feel her in his arms again, pressed against his body, lightly moaning his name in his ear as he ground against her. He remembered how her soft breasts fit in his hands and how anxious he was to see them naked.

  It was more than sex. It was more than lust. He didn’t know what it was, to be honest. All he knew was that for the past few months, he couldn’t stop thinking, fantasizing, inhaling, dreaming about the woman just a few feet away from him. He hadn’t felt that way about anyone since Faith and she was all he cared about.

  Eli finally realized he wasn’t just charting dangerous territory with Simone; he was going to hell in a hand basket with gasoline drawers on. He was about to get burned.

  Eleven

  Simone stood in the corner, admiring Crystal from a distance. She’d chosen a lace halter gown in ivory while her bridesmaids wore strapless dresses in periwinkle, silver, lavender, and royal purple. Her hairstylist put her hair half-up, half-down with many ringlets. A small crystal tiara framed her hair and added an extra touch to Crystal’s look. She looked like a beautiful princess.

  “What do you think, Simone?” Crystal turned to her.

  Simone shook her head and held back tears. “You look absolutely stunning, Crystal. Just stunning.”

  “You really think so?” Crystal nervously smiled. “Like, I really do look good?”

  “Girlfriend, you look amazing. You’re definitely one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen.” Although Simone had used that line on several other brides she’d had before, she could honestly say she meant it with Crystal. She reminded her of a fairy-tale princess out of a Disney movie.

  “I’m so nervous!” Crystal worried. “Like, what if I forget my vows? What if I trip down the aisle? What if...”

  Simone walked up to Crystal and put her arms around her. “Calm down. Look at me. Look at me, Crystal.” The bride caught eyes with Simone. “Take a deep breath. Exhale. Take another deep breath. Yep, that’s it. Now exhale. We’re going to keep doing this until you’ve calmed down.”

  “I told her she should’ve had some champagne with us, back at the salon,” A bridesmaid commented.

  “I think that would’ve been a good idea.” Simone smiled.

  “Girl, Faith was passing out champagne to everyone in celebration of the nuptials! We all were drinking. It was good champagne, too. None of that cheap sparkling bubbly shit.” Another bridesmaid chimed in.

  “I would think it’s good champagne, with that money she and her husband have,” Another bridesmaid said, “isn’t Eli worth something like five million?”

  Simone’s ears perked up upon hearing Eli’s name. She knew he was rich but he never said exactly how much wealth he had. He preferred not to discuss it with his friends, family, or clients.

  “Add ten, girlfriend,” Another bridesmaid commented to amusing whispers, “yeah, fifteen million. That’s how much all them D’Amato boys have.”

  “Is that cumulative or each?” The first bridesmaid asked.

  “Each.” The last bridesmaid commented. “The mama is worth around seventy-five.”

  “Seventy-five million?” All of the ladies said in unison.

  “Yep,” The last bridesmaid nodded as she sipped on her vodka. “She won the lottery, opted to take the lump sum, split it amongst the brothers and kept the majority. Opened up her shop while all of the boys went to school to make something of themselves. They’re all very rich; they just don’t act like it.”

  “How do you know all of this?” The fourth bridesmaid asked.

  “Girl, don’t you read the paper? It was all over the news about ten years ago.” The bridesmaid replied. “You couldn’t miss them. Big-ass men. All of them are at least six feet tall and made of muscle. Some are a little trimmer than others but I’m talking like you would need a microscope to see the difference. They all look like the type who would throw it down in the bedroom and have a woman pound on their chests like ‘Give it to me, Daddy!’” The bridesmaids hollered at the last comment.

  “Shit, are any of them single?” The third bridesmaid asked.

  “Kieran married Tiana Morris, that financial advisor sista? Yeah, she’s worth like two-hundred million so they don’t have to worry about a damn thing. Nick is hooked up with Dolce Gabbana’s sister and she has her own money, too, somewhere in the neighborhood of three million because of Sam the Man. The last two, Joey and Tony, are players.” The last bridesmaid shrugged. “Good luck snagging one of them, if you want to deal with him cheating on your ass all the time.”

  “Hell, for half of fifteen million, he can bring her home and I’ll watch!” The second bridesmaid commented to laughs.

  Simone kept her thoughts silent. She knew Eli had money and she’d truly forgotten how much it was. Other than his occasional designer garb and fancy watch, she would’ve never guessed Eli was worth as much as he was. She was both intrigued and impressed.

  ****

  “How’s my favorite girl?” Eli purred over the phone.

  “Your favorite girl is tired, Daddy.” Faith yawned.

  “How many heads did you do today?”

  “Five.” Faith said with a twinge of exhaustion in her voice.

  “That’s not too bad.” Eli replied.

  “Eh.” Faith commented. “One was a weave and Jesus be a hair track if she didn’t at least deep condition her hair like I asked her to.”

  “Sounds like you had fun, baby.”

  “Lord, I need a vacation, baby. We need to go somewhere soon.”

  “Well, wedding season is almost done. Just a few more weeks and we’ll be done. Where did you want to go?”

  “Let’s go down to Florida to visit Disney. I’ve never been there and I think little man would really like it.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Eli commented. He had always w
anted to visit Disney and was long overdue for a vacation.

  “Anyway, I’m about to pick up little man from my mom’s and go home. What time are you going to be in?”

  “I’ll be leaving here in a little bit. I just need to decorate the honeymoon suite and then I’ll be on my way. Did you want me to stop and pick up anything for dinner?” Eli asked.

  “Can you get some pizza?” Faith yawned over the phone. “I just don’t feel like cooking tonight.”

  “Sure thing, baby girl.” Simone appeared in Eli’s peripheral and he waved at her. “Anything else?”

  “Some tiramisu if they have any.”

  “Now you know I make the best tiramisu, right?” Eli purred.