by Vera Roberts
“And there’s a lot about her I can’t stand. I hate it when we’re trying to find some place to eat and she can’t make up her mind so I’ll choose something for us, only for her to complain she didn’t like what I chose. I hate it when I’m trying to play PS4 and she has to talk to me about some bullshit gossip about some people I don’t know and don’t care about. I hate it when she becomes extremely angry and cursing at me about every damn thing but the next minute, she gives the best blow job ever because she knew she was in the wrong. Okay, so maybe that one isn’t so bad.
“Honestly, I can’t see myself with anyone else. This woman prayed for me, for us, during our worst. Whenever I get criticism, she pulls out her Bible and shares a scripture about ignoring the haters. We lost several babies only to have God give us our blessings. We’re different, but we’re so similar, it’s nuts. And she’s the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with. She’s my good girl gone bad gone right again. Faye is forever.”
“That is so fucking beautiful,” Tony deadpanned.
Eli shuffled his cards. “Can somebody please…?”
Joey popped Tony in the back of his head. “Don’t make fun of your pussy-whipped brother on one beer, you know the rules. Always wait after the second one.”
Nick and Kieran laughed. “Now let’s lose some favors here tonight.” Nick stated.
“What you got, sons?” Art asked.
“Man, I got the hook-up of all hook-ups!” Tony asked. “Not only am I offering my standard shave, mani, pedi, and haircut for an entire month, but I’m also adding in the new massage service.”
“Okay, I see your service and I’ll raise it by a month of child care and for those who don’t have kids, two floor seats at the Knicks.” Kieran bet.
“I see all of that and add in two dates at Per Se and Meadowsweet. The only Michelin-rated restaurants you have to be on a waiting list for and I got the hookup from one of my students to get you in at any time.” Nick blinked. “Oh, and yeah, I can get Dolce to perform.” Nick’s brother-in-law was world-famous rapper, Dolce Gabbana.
“Okay, you ain’t playing fair.” Eli shook a finger.
“Man, I got you behind home plate at Yankee Stadium, plus a horse carriage ride through New York.” Joey shrugged. “Yeah, beat that.”
“I have ten dozen roses, plus a personalized set to anyone you want to give it to in addition to all of that,” Eli bragged, “oh, and yeah, I can get whoever a walk-in on the show.”
“Fool, I can do that,” Joey wasn’t impressed.
“You should’ve done it, then.” Eli challenged before he turned to their father, “okay, Pop. You go.”
Arturo cleared his throat. “All of that,” he softly gesticulated, “plus a year of protected service which is not limited to but includes: transportation, security, and first access to any concert or sporting event.” He flashed a wide smile. “It pays to be the mayor.”
If This World Were Mine
“So, one left but two came back,” Zerrin began as she got comfortable on the bed, “spill it, Faye.”
Faith shrugged as she sat on the bed with her sisters. Yesterday morning, she was ready to battle Eli for a potential custody case. Now, her heart was battling her brain for dominance. “I don’t know what’s going on. I thought everything was said and done, and completely over. Then I saw him last night for the first time in person and it was like, it was like…”
“It was like your legs instantly spread open for him?” Zoe smiled as Tiana shot her a disgusted look. “Don’t give me that look! You know everybody in this room was thinking the exact same thing.”
“It’s like he dick-matized me,” Faith shook her head. Her sex was still sore from the pounding Eli gave it just a few hours prior. Every thrust, every moan, every kiss was just as passionate as the last. It seemed he missed her just as much as she missed him. “I can’t think. I can barely talk right now.”
“Yep, he’s a D’Amato,” Zerrin added as Zoe and Tiana agreed. “It’s like they all went to the same school on how to blow a sista’s back out. I was pissed off at Nick the other day and a couple hours later, I had no idea why I was mad.” She looked pensive for a brief moment. “I still don’t know why I was mad at him.”
“Girl, Kieran sent me a text I can’t even repeat,” Tiana blushed, “I had to cancel every meeting for the rest of the day and get home.”
“Joey and I went to dinner the other night and in front of the servers, he started to play with me. I had a freaking orgasm in front of our server!” Zoe widely smiled. “Hell, that was kinda hot. Maybe we should go out to dinner every night.”
“Sexcapades aside,” Zerrin interrupted, “what’s going on between you and Eli, Faye? Sex is good but it doesn’t solve all.”
“We have a long road ahead of us. He’s willing to work things out so we could co-parent in a healthy way. I’m staying in Harlem, so there’s that.” She nodded as she looked at her sisters’ amused faces. “What?”
“Bitch, you weren’t ever leaving Harlem,” Zoe rolled her eyes.
“I agree,” Zerrin added.
“Yep,” Tiana nodded.
“Excuse all of y’all!” Faith defended her actions. “I was looking at homes, I was looking at schools. I intended to move out there.”
“Faye, you didn’t pack a single box and you were supposed to be out of Harlem by the end of the week?” Zerrin shot her a disbelieving look. “Girl, you were packing nothing but lies, fairytales, and fallacies.”
“You need to just come out and admit you were hoping Eli was going to stop you from moving so you had a reason to stay in Harlem,” Zoe shook her head.
“Eli knew you weren’t going to move,” Tiana added, “the way he acted all week indicated something.”
“Really?” Faith was surprised by the new information. “Like how was he acting?”
“A bit nervous, a bit worried,” Tiana revealed, “when he met Kieran and I for dinner, it was the first time he’d mentioned you in years.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “What did he say?”
“If you must know,” Tiana cleared her voice, “ and I quote, ‘that puttana is trying to take my babies from me,’ and end quote.”
“Oh,” Faith’s shoulders slumped down. She’d regretted filing for divorce and only did it as a scare tactic. She didn’t realize he would take her up on her offer. “He was really mad at me, huh?”
“Faye, if you want us to get real with you, I don’t think any of this had anything to do with custody to begin with. Faye, you and your people tried to tear down the D’Amato legacy and you almost succeeded at it.” Zerrin began. “There was a lot of anger between the D’Amatos for a long while. If I’m going to be honest with you, you weren’t well-liked by any of us.”
Zerrin told the truth. When Eli cut her off, the sisters also stood in solidarity with their husbands. It was also after Faith individually met with the other couples to resolve tension, did things become better. Faith wondered if the family would ever truly forgive her. She wondered if Eli was sincere with his promise. “Yeah, Eli told me. Tony’s still angry at my best friend for it.”
“But the one thing the D’Amatos are known for is forgiveness. They don’t hold grudges. If they want nothing to do with a person, they’ll let them know. They won’t pester. They won’t stalk.” Tiana added.
“They won’t use their Twitter-Face-Insta fingers,” Zoe chimed in. “They don’t have time for any of that. Why should they engage in pettiness when they’re trying to expand their empire and make money? They believe people deserve a second chance, regardless of how anyone feels about them.”
“Faye, Eli brought you over here; that’s huge.” Tiana encouraged. “A lot of women spent the night with Eli but none of them met the family. And to be honest, the other brothers said Eli only brought home a woman if he was serious about her. That number is less than five.”
Faith already knew who the other women were – Simone and Erica. It was no mistake she
was at the family Christmas and they weren’t. “It’s going to take forever to win his trust back in me.”
“Good,” Zerrin nodded, “this is a test for both of you.”
After the Christmas celebration, Eli took Faith and their children back to Faith’s home. As he stepped inside for the first time in two years, he realized nothing had changed. Everything was still in the same position as before.
“I didn’t feel like redecorating,” Faith noticed Eli looking around, “I spent a lot of money picking out everything to begin with and there was no point spending more money because I was angry.”
“You always had impeccable taste,” he chuckled as he smoothed his hands over the leather sofas. “Sometimes, better than me.”
“Sometimes?” Faith scoffed. “All of the time, bruh.”
“Oh, you’re playing yourself with that,” Eli shook a finger at her.
“Baby boy, I knew about Versace before Biggie spit one rhyme about it.” Faith smiled.
“Yeah, okay,” Eli shook his head, “I remember I bought you Balenciaga one time and you couldn’t even pronounce it.”
“I can pronounce ‘my husband just spent all of his money on me’ just fine, thank you very much,” Faith was interrupted by Nathan, “yes, baby?”
“Can Daddy spend the night tonight? I like his pancakes.” He smiled.
Faith turned to her ex and once again the sensual air passed between them. “If he wants to,” she replied, staring at him.
“Sure, I would love to,” Eli held his gaze, “I’ll sleep in the guest room.” He turned to Nathan and picked him up. “You like my pancakes, huh?” He tickled his son, who burst into a fit of laughter. “You like my pancakes, huh?” He carried Nathan upstairs. “It’s time for bath and bed time. I’ll read you your favorite story.”
“I have three!” Nathan chimed in.
“Three?” Eli whistled. “Man, I don’t know if I have enough voices for three books now…”
Faith’s heart filled with warmth she didn’t realize was missing. Things between her and Eli may have been rocky but he always went the extra mile for their children. She felt like an absolute fool trying to keep them away from him.
There was still the issue with Jeremy but Faith had a feeling the relationship was going to end soon. She briefly called him to congratulate him on a good game, only to get his voicemail. She then saw pics of him in a nightclub, hugged up on a couple of fans. She quietly took her ring off and put it back in the box.
Now her ex-husband was in her home and Faith wondered if it was finally time to make it theirs again. She needed to find out tonight.
~~~~~
After putting all three children to bed, Eli prepared for a shower. He didn’t bring any extra clothing because he honestly didn’t think he was going to be at his ex’s home. It was fine. He was with his family and that’s all that mattered.
As he stepped into the shower, he thought about the last 24 hours. He went from nearly hating his ex to realizing he never stopped being in love with her. It was why his relationship with Erica didn’t work out. If Eli wanted to see her, he knew he would’ve made the time. She was a great woman and everything he could’ve asked for in a partner.
She wasn’t Faith.
There were a lot of things Eli didn’t like about Faith – her immaturity, her overreacting to trivial things, her constant need for gossip. There were a lot of things he loved about her – how devoted she was to the community, how she was a God-fearing woman, and how she was willing to change.
Eli let the rain shower beat on him as he thought about the future. The New Year was only in a few days and it left a lot of room for both of them to grow and co-parent in a healthy and happy way. Maybe reconciliation was in the cards? Maybe they were better off as just good friends.
Either way, Eli just wanted resolution between them. It was time to end the games and become adults about everything. His children deserved better.
So did he.
~~~~~
Eli walked back to his bedroom with one of the plush pink towels wrapped firmly around his waist when he encountered Faith. She’d just stepped out of the shower herself, with the same towel wrapped around her.
“Oh hey,” he grinned.
“Hey,” Faith secured the towel more, “I didn’t think you took a shower now. I thought you were asleep.”
“I was going to but I smelled like Play-Doh and whatever else the kids put on me,” Eli smiled, “so I had to freshen up.”
“I’ll do your laundry so you’ll have fresh clothing in the morning,” Faith added, “so you’re not wearing the Play-Doh smell again.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Eli nodded. A small silence stood between the former couple and that was Eli’s cue to go to sleep. “So, um, buonanotte, amore mio.”
Faith shook her head. “Stop speaking.”
Eli stepped closer to her. He stared into her eyes and felt the heat between them. “Oh?”
Faith’s tongue darted to her lips. “Just…” She felt his warm breath on her lips and briefly closed her eyes. She felt her breath caught in her lungs and forced the air out. “…stop that.”
Eli lifted Faith’s chin with a finger and softly kissed her lips. “Tell me no.”
“Um…” Faith let out a few more breaths and locked eyes with her ex. “I…I…I can’t.”
Eli picked up Faith and carried her into the master bedroom. He removed her towel as she removed his. He then laid on top of her and caressed her face. “Non posso vivere sensza di te.”
Faith loved it when Eli spoke Italian to her. Despite being together for so long, she only knew a handful of phrases. It was going to be her goal to become fluent in it since her children were. “What does that mean?”
“I can’t live without you,” he quietly replied.
Faith adjusted her position and Eli slid inside her slick heat. She arched her back as a soft moan escaped her lips. Once again, he completely filled her and she clutched around his length, guiding him in. “Facciamo l’amore.” She begged. Make love to me.
Eli gathered Faith’s hands and held them over her head as he pushed more inside her. “Always,” he swept his lips over hers. “Always.” He moved agonizingly slow at first before it bored him. He gathered Faith legs and held them against his chest as he began to move faster.
Every stroke from Eli pulled muffled sounds and gasps from Faith, who intentionally kept quiet in fear of waking the children. Even if she wanted to make noise, she didn’t know if she could as she felt him slam into her and slowly pull out to the point of withdrawal.
Faith clutched Eli’s arms as he relentlessly pounded into her. Her sex gripped tighter around his shaft and her body began the quiet spasms in preparation for her orgasm. It started at the balls of her feet, curling them into tight circles. It traveled up her legs and settled in the pit of her belly before it exploded out of her mouth.
Eli covered Faith’s mouth with his as she screamed into it. He thrust a few more times before he met a climax of his own and collapsed on top of her. After a few moments, Eli rolled off Faith and pulled her close to him.
Things were the same. Things were wildly different. The only thing that hadn’t changed between them was the love they shared.
No matter what happened between them, Eli was confident they would always be a part of each other’s lives in one form or another. He would still give it one last shot to make it work. If it didn’t, Eli knew he at least tried.
He had to. For the sake of the children – and his sanity.
One More Try
Eli sat in front of his computer at Madre’s as he tried to figure out another design template for a gay wedding. The grooms wanted something simplistic yet stylish for their upcoming summer outdoor wedding in the Hamptons. He drew a brief sketch of a rustic theme, complete with dahlias, sage, and white peonies as the first idea, and fresh lavender and sage for the second.
When news hit that Eli was the floral designer of the0 high-
profile transgendered wedding of Adrienne Kimbrough and Blake Towney, business from the LGBTQ community tripled Madre’s revenue.
While Joey was busy counting dollars and Nicola hobnobbed with many gay and lesbian community activists, Eli focused on work. He gave the same quality regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. His only request was that people weren’t assholes.
Eli wasn’t planning on being in the office during the holiday break, since all of the Madre’s employees were off with the exception for a few security guards. When inspiration hit him, though, Eli had to get the ideas out of his head before they drove him nuts.
“Always working, huh?” Joey entered the office.
“Never stopped,” Eli replied. “I’ll be out of here in a bit. I just needed to get these sketches done and then I’ll get back to them in the New Year.”
“And how’s Faye?” Joey checked his e-mail. “I see your car has been parked at her home for the past couple of days.”
Eli agreed. “We’re working things out. I wouldn’t go as far as saying we’re back together quite yet but we’re getting there. We’re both optimistic about the future and what lies ahead.”
“Any word from the basketballer?” Joey asked and Eli shrugged.
“It’s none of my business. Whatever goes on between them is between them,” he moved his mouse and clicked on it, “but I don’t think he’ll appreciate me sleeping with his fiancée.”
“It’s not like she was ever his,” Joey replied, “if she was really devoted to him, she would’ve been moved out to L.A. She was waiting for you to block it.”
“I figured as much,” Eli leaned back into his chair and stretched, “but as much I would like to claim I would’ve let her go, I would’ve tried to stop her.”
“There you go,” Joey pointed a finger to his brother, “you can’t stop love no matter what.”
“You can’t stop love,” Eli agreed. He received a text from Faith and read it. He chuckled at the context. “Yo, check this out.”
Joey grabbed the phone from his brother and read the text. He read it again for good measure.
